Criminal Minds
by netisnotonfire
Summary: Faith, Erin and Erin's boyfriend Phil moved to Virginia for a new start. Faith recently broke up with her long time boyfriend, Dan, but continued to move with Erin and Phil until she could afford her own place. She luckily gets a job with the BAU where her life begins to change (A/N: Some of this story will have old episode of Criminal Minds in it :) I don't own that part obv)
1. A New Start

"Can you grab that?" I called to Erin, as I gestured towards the last moving box, before picking up the one at my feet. Erin paid our moving van driver, and grabbed the final box as we entered our new place. We had been saving up for several years to move here, and the day had finally come.

Luckily Erin had been dating her boyfriend Phil for a while, and he moved with us. I would go more into my relationship with his friend Dan, but let's just say things got complicated and it didnt work out. (Thanks to that slut Fate!) Now he was living with her, and I moved with my friends.

We had moved to a beautiful 4 bedroom house in Virginia in america. Erin had released one of her books, and it had sold well! Phil was still filming his youtube videos. And me? Well, I used to have a job working with reptiles in the UK, but obviously I needed something more. All I had behind me was a criminology degree, and I discovered it didnt really get you anywhere, unless you wanted to be a behaviour analysis or a criminology teacher. 1) I doubt i would ever get into behaviour analysis and 2) i didn't really fancy teaching a load of american kids criminology.

I placed the moving box on the cream carpet of my new bedroom and looked around. The plain white walls looked so boring! I wasn't really one for living in a dull bedroom, so i grabbed my crocodile hair clip, pulled up my hair and grabbed the paint pots.

Several hours later, I looked around once more. 3 of the previously white walls were painted grey, and the 4th was light blue, with a black silhouetted tree stretching across it, a ornamental bird cage hanging from the branch. I was quite pleased with my work.

"Wow, i see someone's been busy!" Erin chuckled as she leant against my door frame. Her brown and red hair was pulled into a high pony tail, and her usual pale complexion was slighty pink. You could tell she had been doing a lot or organising down in the living room.

"Well, you know what I'm like, I didnt want it being plain in here" I replied. She handed me a bottle of water, which I gratefully took, before taking a seat on my mattress.

"Was thinking of going out for a meal later, wanna join?" Erin quizzed, sipping from her own bottle.

"Nah I'm good. Gonna be third wheeling enough living here, don't wanna interupt your date" I smirked. Erin rolled her eyes.

"Still upset about Dan?" She glanced nervously at me. She had been the one sitting with me whilst I sobbed about him for the past month. It was nice to have finally moved on, but he was supposed to have moved here too, until we found our own house.

"I'm fine" I replied, glancing at the floor. "She's welcome to him"

"You'll find someone"

"Oh how the tables have turned" I looked back up at here and smirked again. She threw a teddy bear at me that was resting on top of a box before leaving the room.

I placed the water down and began setting up my bed frame, since i couldn't properly unpack until tomorrow when the paint had dried. Shame, because I would probably lose all motivation by then.

A few hours later, I heard Erin call up to me that her and Phil were going out, and a bang as the door shut. I looked out the window at them wander down the street hand in hand. It was so cute, but also made me so miserable at the same time. A tear trickled down my face, and I quickly turned to my boxes to find something to wear. I wasn't going to sit around all depressed. I was going to go out and look around the new town to see what there was going on. I changed into my demin shorts, black strappy top and grey cardigan before wandering down the staircase into the lounge. You could tell Erin had been here. The TV was set up in the corner on its stand, ps1, 2, 3, gamecube, megadrive and DVD player placed neatly on the shelves beneath it. There were her usual fairy lights stuck around the fireplace, photos of her family on the top along with a vase of flowers, im guessing from Phil. Our black leather sofa's were placed with the 3 seater against the wall and the 2 seater at a right angle across the room from it. A large red rug spread across the carpet between the sofas.

I smiled, it was looking great. Quickly, I looked in the large mirror that was hung about the fireplace, and took my long blue hair out the clip, ruffling it as it fell down to the middle of my back.

I slipped on my black converse and wandered out the front door, locking it behind me and slipping my keys into my pocket as I began to walk down the road. It was nice to be able to go out and it be warm. It was probably raining in the UK right now, here it was already 5pm and it was still in the mid 20's.

I walked for about 20 minutes and I ended up on a street that had several shops and a large building opposite that looked like a museum or a library or something. Outside was a sign that said "Behaviour Analysis Speech, 4.30pm". That could be interesting. I knew I was half an hour late but I quickly hurried up the steps and into the building.

There were dark red carpets, cream walls, and it was silent. I slipped down the hallway, following a quiet muble that I could hear.

I reached some double doors, and carefully pushed it open a crack so i could listen in.

"Furthermore, the work of the behaviour analysis team means that we find out important clues in cases that could potentially lead us to the capture of some of the worst criminals out there" A tall dark haired man said. I pushed the door further and slipped into the room. Luckily the door was at the back of the room, and I didn't get noticed by the speakers. I slipped into a seat next to a rather old, bald guy. He looked at me as I sat down, so I smiled quickly at him and turned my attention back to the front.

"The BAU is currently looking for someone to join the team as one of our current Agents have taken a year out for maternity leave. I decided to do this discussion today in order to find someone here that is talented enough to join our team for the year. I have to warn you, you will have a pretty important role to fill" The dark haired man continued. "The agents here with me today, Morgan, Reid and Prentis will be speaking to those of you that are interested in a few moments" He gestured towards the 3 of them that were sat behind him, each of them smiled awkwardly as all eyes in the room turned towards them.

"So that is everything that I wanted to say. I hope to welcome one of you here to our team soon" He nodded, and an applause filled the room. A job with the BAU? That sounded pretty awesome! I knew full well there was probably more chance of me sprouting wings and flying out of here than there was me getting that job, but hey, there's no hope in applying. I did have a degree.

Everyone began to stand, several left the room, and the rest wandered towards the agents that were now stood at the front of the room, talking to several people. I shuffled forwards, looking around at each person here. They all looked so smart. I glanced down at my bare legs in my short denim shorts. Oh God. No one would take me seriously in this outfit. I glanced around me for an exit and began to head towards it when I heard a voice.

"Erm... Excuse me"

I stopped and looked back around. About a metre away from me stood a tall man. He had light brown messy hair and dark eyes. He wore black trousers and a blue shirt with a darker blue tie. I couldn't deny he was attractive, and I maybe stared a little longer than I should have. Quickly, I glanced down. Attached to his belt was a card. 'DR Reid. BAU'. Dammit, he was going to ask why I was here.

"Yeah?" I questioned.

"Are you here to apply?" He stepped closer to me awkwardly.

"I kinda feel under-dressed to be applying" I chuckled, nodding towards a man speaking to the woman agent. He was wearing a suit and tie. Spencer glanced around at him and smirked, before turning back to me.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not here to judge you on your dress sense" He said, gesturing towards the seating. I took a seat, and he took one beside me, looking down at me.

"Well that's a bonus" I ruffled my hair. He took out a notepad and a pen, flipping to a blank page.

"So you wanna apply for the BAU?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I just don't know whether I'm good enough" I responded "What qualifications did you have when you applied?"

"Degrees in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering as well as Bachelor's Degrees in Psychology and Sociology." He replied. My mouth fell open slightly.

"Well... Erm... I dont have that..." I stuttered slightly, all self esteem being shattered.

"Don't compare yourself to me" He smiled.

"It's hard not to" I muttered, taking a deep breath before continuing, and expecting to get laughed at. "I have a degree in criminology. That's it really"

He wrote it down quickly. "Criminology is really all you need. Any other skills that will come in handy?"

I thought quickly, and noticed the pistol in the holster attached to his belt.

"I'm good at shooting. And know first aid" I replied, watching him scribble it down again.

"That's great!" He replied, "Now I just need to take your name and number and we'll give you a call in the next few days to come in for a trial or something"

He handed me the pen and paper and I quickly wrote them down for him, and handed it back.

"It was nice to meet you..." He glanced at the name "Faith"

He stood and smiled at me before heading towards, who i pressumed was his boss, and I quickly left the room.


	2. Things Seemed To Be Turning Around

I'd returned home after a quick wander around the shops, with several packets of sweets (not all for me!) and some beers (also, not all for me!). I'd put the beers in the fridge, after taking one out, and left some bags of sweets on the kitchen counter for Erin and Phil when they returned home from their date. Usually they would snuggle up on the sofa at night and watch a movie or something. I knew what happened well, because me and Dan used to sit on the sofa opposite and do the same. I shook my head and took another swig of the beer. I couldn't let myself think of him. I refused to get upset anymore.

I lay on my bed with my laptop and watched several seasons of some comedy shows, giggling to myself, when Erin and Phil arrived home.

Soon there was a knock at my bedroom door and Erin entered, placing herself at the end of my bed.

"Evening hermit" She smirked down at me. I took off my headphones and rested them next to me as I sat up.

"Again, how the tables have turned" I shuffled back and leant on my headboard.

"You honestly been sat here the whole time we've been out?"

"Nope" I replied, smiling "I went out, and applied for a job" Erin looked kinda shocked at what had just come out of my mouth.

"A job? Already?"

"Yep" I replied.

"Where?"

"The BAU" I took another sweet from the packet and chewed on it happily

"Whats the BAU?"

"The behavioural Analysis Unit"

"Thats great!" She suddenly squeaked, making me jump.

"Thanks" I giggled

"Finally putting that Criminology degree to use!"

"Don't get too excited for me. It's hard to get into and there were a lot of applicants" I muttered "I don't wanna get my hopes up"

"Oh ok" She stood up off my bed "Well, good luck! I'm sure you'll do fantastic!"

I nodded at her gratefully

"Well me and Phil were going to watch a movie. Wanna join?"

"Again, I don't wanna be the third wheel. I'm fine up here" I smiled at her, "But thanks for the offer"

"Look Faith" She said, sincerely "You've gotta get over Dan at some point"

"It's not Dan" I lied "I just want you to have you're alone time every now and again"

"Ok... Well, goodnight then" She left the room, shutting my bedroom door behind her. I sighed to myself, lying back down on my bed, and pulled the laptop close once more.

I woke up to a ringing, and reached out towards my bedside table for my phone. Glancing at the screen I noticed it said 'unknown'.

"Strange" I muttered, sleepily, before answering it and holding it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Faith?" A familiar voice said

"Yeah, hey Reid" I replied

"Hey, I was just calling to see if you were free today?"

"Well I was gonna unpack but I can leave it, why?"

"Unpack?" He quizzed

"Yeah, I only moved in here yesterday" I chuckled

"Oh right. You sure you want to be working so soon?" Working? He meant...?

"Working?"

"Yeah. Hotchner said that you were perfect for the job and wanted you to come in today"

My pulse quickened and a smile formed across my face.

"I would love to!" I kicked the duvet off me and glanced around at the boxes for some smarter clothes.

"Ok, well I'll meet you at the same place as yesterday and take you to the BAU. Is that ok?"

"Perfect!" I rummaged quickly, pulling out some plain black trousers and a white shirt.

"Ok. See you in about an hour"

I hung up and quickly grabbed everything I needed before i hurried into the bathroom, and hopped into the shower.

I dried myself off, pulled on my clothes and ran back into my room to dry my hair. I kept glancing over at the clock, keeping an eye on the time. I was due to be there in 25 minutes. When my hair was damp I pulled in to one side and braided it tightly. No time for straighteners this morning! I grabbed my phone and hurried downstairs, grabbing a smoothie from the fridge, and quickly writing a note for Erin when she woke up, so she didnt worry I'd been kidnapped or something.

Once again, I pulled on my black pumps and I rushed out the door, and towards the same building.

The cool morning air was great. It woke me up as I walked and sipped my juice. I couldnt believe this was happening to me! My second day here and already I'd seemed to have bagged myself a pretty awesome job! Looks like my life was turning around.


	3. This was going to be a hard trial

I arrived at that large building again, and perched myself on one of the steps outside. It wasn't long until a black SUV pulled up and Morgan climbed out. I was slightly disappointed that it wasnt Reid, but I smiled and stood up, dusting myself down.

"Morning" Morgan smiled, gesturing me towards the car.

"Hey" I replied, as I clambered inside. He closed the door after me and walked around to the drivers side. As i looked forward I noticed a familiar face smiling at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

"I can't believe this is happening" I chuckled to myself.

"Why?" Spencer replied.

"Why?" I exclaimed. "Because this is crazy! This is a dream job!"

"A dream job is still possible to get" He chuckled.

"Looks that way" I glanced back outside again.

Soon we pulled up at a large white building. Morgan drove around to a carpark at the rear, being some large gates. We clambered out of the car and they led me towards the entrance and down a hall to an elevator.

"You ready?" Morgan asked as we made our way up in the lift.

"I suppose" I replied, nervously.

The doors opened, and in front of me there was a large glass door that led into a room full of desks. I saw another familiar face of Prentis ahead of me and I followed the guys through. Reid gestured towards some steps and said,

"Head up there. On the right is Hotch's office. He's going to want to see you"

I nodded and did as he said, walking quickly up the steps. I knocked on the door, and it soon opened. There was the dark haired man from the day before.

"Ah Faith Matthews?" He stepped aside and gestured me in

"That's me" I smiled, entering the room and waiting as he closed the door

"Please, take a seat"

I perched myself on the chair, and he walked around the desk where he sat in his own seat.

"So, did Reid explain what was happening?"

"He said something about some kind of trial" I replied honestly

"Yeah, basically we will see how you shoot, and you'll be in one of our case briefings to see how well you act in these kinds of situations" He said. Wow, this was going to be a tough trial.

"Sounds great" I forced a smile, earning a small smile back.

"Right, shooting" He said, standing and leading me out of the room and down a hall. We headed back down the elevator and into a shooting range on the ground floor.

Hotch led me to the 1st booth, where a pistol, eye and ear defenders lay on a shelf. Luckily a few years previous I had been in the cadets (sounds childish I know) and there I learnt how to fire guns.

"Ok so front sight, Trigger press, follow through" Hotch said. I had no idea what he was on about so i just agreed, putting on the eye and ear defenders. He did the same and i picked up the gun, pressed the magazine into it and aimed at the target down the lane from me. I took several deep breaths, then held my breath as I pressed the trigger. Quickly, I breathed out, lowering to see where I'd hit.

Not too bad, I got the second ring from the centre of the target. I turned on the safety catch and turned to Hotch

"I have to say I'm impressed" He smiled. I could help but feel a sense of relief. "But you need to follow through more"

"Follow through?"

"You lower the gun too soon to see where you hit. You probably move slightly as you fire. Try again, and this time follow through"

I tried again, this time keeping the gun pointed at the target for a second longer, before lowering once again. Bullseye!

"Perfect!" Hotch exclaimed. I took the magazine back out and rested it back on the shelf, the pistol beside it.

"Time to see how you do in an actual case"


	4. He's Provably A Genius

Hotchner led me into a room containing a large projector screen and a circular table, surrounded by the rest of the team. I took a seat between him and Reid, and turned my attention towards the screen, staring at the case photos that covered it.

"A family found a young boy this morning in the middle of nowhere. He had obviously been through some kind of super hell, and escaped captivity" A blonde bubbly woman said. She was dressed head to toe in purple. Literally. She had a big purple flower in her hair, a knee length purple dress with lighter purple tights and glittery shoes. She wore thick rimmed glasses and brightly coloured make up, and had a smile that lit up the room.

"How do we know he wasnt just dropped of there" Morgan asked her.

"Fresh cuts were on the bottom of his feet from a nearby cactus field" She replied to him, as she began to hand out tablet computers

"You must be Faith" She smiled, handing me mine. "Nice to finally meet you"

"You too" I smiled back before turning my attention back down to the tablet. The pictures were so upsetting. On my screen was a young boy, around 16 with really messy black hair. His eyes were slightly yellow, obviously jaundice, and he was covered in wounds and dirt. I could barely look at them.

"He must have had a chance to escape and took it" Morgan flicked through some pictures

"Could he have escaped whilst being moved somewhere else?" I said. I looked up at everyone looking around at me, and quickly glanced down again. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Was I here just to listen in?

"There's a possibility" Hotchner said to me. I looked around at him and smiled.

"Any missing children reports in the area?" Reid called out, flicking through his paperwork. Why didnt he have a tablet like the rest of us?

"None until now. Hotch" She gestured towards Hotchner.

"Another boy was reported missing not to far away"

"Can't be coincidence" A man with dark hair and a moustache folded his arms and leant back into his seat.

"Technically it could be but Arizona had the lowest abduction rate in the country. So chanced of these two cases not being related is ridiculously slim" Reid answered

Wow i hadn't even read where it was yet, how did he find this information so quickly. I flicked across the pages quickly to find where he was. Billy henderson, 13, went missing from Crawford Arizona at around 8.20pm the previous day.

"Best chances of finding Billy is to find out what the first victim knows" Prentis added.

"Morgan, when we get there you go to the hospital and see what you can find out. Faith, before we all leave one of us will drop you off at your house and see you when we get back" Hotch stood up.

"Is there any possibility of me staying?" I said, standing up as well. I really needed to find the guy who had done this to this boy. I couldn't go home now.

"You sure you can handle it this soon?"

"Only one way to find out" I smiled. Hotch nodded and turned to the rest of the room

"Wheels up in 30"

"Wheels up?" I quizzed, looking around as Hotch walked off down the hallway.

"He means we leave on the jet to Arizona in 30 minutes, so get everything you need" Reid answered me as he pushed all his paperwork back into his folder.

"Theres a jet?" I exclaimed. He looked up and me and smiled at my excitement.

"Follow me"

He picked up his folder and slipped it into his satchel before standing and leading me off the same way Hotchner had walked.

I climbed the steps to the jet and wandered inside, Reid close behind me. The insides were gorgeous. Just inside the door was a small kitchen with a coffee machine. to the right of that was a archway with curtains either side, that led into the main part of the plane where Hotchner was sat. The chairs were made of a cream coloured leather, with a glossed wooden table in front of them.

"Wow" I breathed, looking around and taking everything in.

"Take a seat, and I'll talk you though everything" Reid gestured me to a pair of seats on the left hand side and I quickly sat down, letting him slip into the seat beside me.

"Faith Matthews" A voice said. I looked up to see the guy with the dark hair and moustache enter the plane.

"Yeah?" I quizzed. He slipped into the seat opposite me, and held his hand out across the table.

"I'm David Rossi"

I shook his hand gratefully and smiled.

"I would say mine, but you seem to already know"

He chuckled as he let go of my hand and leant back into the chair, pulling his tablet out of his bag.

Reid opened the folder once more and lay it on the table in front of him.

"Ok quick question" I began, as I glanced down at all the paperwork

"Yeah?"

"How come the rest of us have these tablets and you have a folder full of paper?" I gestured towards Rossi's tablet.

"Those slow me down. I can read this faster" He smiled at me.

"A computer slows you down?" I was so confused. I thought computers were pretty quick.

"You really don't wanna go into it" Rossi laughed. I looked over at him, and back to Reid, who was once again looking through his paperwork for the right piece of paper.

"I'm so confused" I chuckled, ruffling me hair.

"Ok so quick version. Spencer is provably a genius. IQ of 100 and something"

"187" Spencer answered without even looking up"

"187?!" I exclaimed, open mouthed.

"That and he has an eidetic memory, and can read 20,000 words a minute"

"Are you sure he's human?" I joked, looking back over at him, and earning another laugh from Rossi. Reid found his piece of paper and began explaining everything from the case. How the parents of the missing child were in the police station, how we would be meeting with them when we arrived, and how the other boy was in the hospital.

It wasn't a long flight, and soon after landing, we all clambered into SUV's. Prentis, Morgan and Rossi in one. Me, Spencer and Hotch in another. All of us began driving and soon a voice came over the Car's speakers.

"Ok, I have the whole gang on" Garcia said. "It looks like the first victim was definitely held in the Crawford area of Arizona"

"Why's that?" Spencer said.

"Because a woman walked into Crawford PD this morning, says she remembers seeing a boy in chains, in Crawford, 30 years ago, just like the boy last night"

"She still at the station?" Hotch asked, keeping his eyes glued to the road.

"No she dropped off the information and left"

"What's her name?" I heard Rossi, from the other car through the speakers. Obviously Garcia had done for kind of computer thing on her end and connected everyone.

"Samatha Allen, shes 36, never married, born and raised in Crawford, mother died when she was 5 and her father's in the construction business"

"Is there any security footage from the police department?" I quizzed, earing a smile from Spencer. My stomach tightened as i looked at him, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah there is. Sending it to your tablets... Now" Garcia answered. I pulled out my tablet and leant forward with it so that Spencer and Hotch could see. A woman was on the screen, looking at a shelving unit full of photos absent mindedly.

"What's she looking at?" I asked, quietly.

"No idea" Spencer replied. The woman turned to the police officer and quickly leaves.

"What happened?" I asked again

"It's like she was spooked" Rossi said

"Dave, you and Prentis see if you can find Samantha Allen, and drop Derek off at the hospital on the way. Me, Reid and Faith will set up at the station. Let's just hope Morgan gets through to the surviver"


	5. She Protected Him

The three of us entered the police station and walked quickly towards a detective sat behind a dark wooden desk.

"Detective, I'm agent Hotchner, this is Doctor Spencer Reid and Faith Matthews" Hotchner held his hand out to the detective as he stood up and shook it quickly.

"I thought your team was bigger" He said, looking quickly at the three of us.

"The others are following some leads" Spencer said to him. I looked around me quickly and noticed a shelving unit covered in photo frames through a small glass window in a door. That was the shelving unit from the CCTV.

"Spence" I nudged him. He looked at me quickly.

"Spence?" He asked quietly.

"Sorry! I mean Reid" I put my head in my hands

"No... No Spence is fine. It's just... only one person has ever called me that before" He smiled slightly.

"Oh right, well, Spence, theres a bookcase through there" I pointed at the window, and as soon as he looked he began walking towards it, the detective behind him.

"Detective, you talked to Sam Allen over here, and I think one of these photos upset her. Do you know why?" Spencer opened the door, and allowed the detective and me to walk through before him.

"It's weird" The detective said, folding his arms

"Why's that?" I asked, looking at each photo carefully.

"Because most of the people in these photos have passed away. Thats our old chief, that one there" He pointed at a particular photo in the centre of the middle shelf.

"And that guy he's with, he built the station and most of the houses in around this area. It's JB Allen. Sam's father"

I looked quickly over at Spencer, who was staring back at me, a concerned look on his face.

"Call Rossi" He said. I nodded and pulled out my phone. Luckily Spencer had given me everyones number when he was explaining the case to me on the plane.

"Hey Rossi" I said, as he answered, glancing back at the photo again.

"Hey" He replied

"I think Sam left the police station after seeing a photo of a father"

"Strange"

"Maybe her father's involved" I looked over at Spence and he nodded.

"It's a possibility. Nice work Faith"

"Thanks" I smiled as I hung up the phone.

The three of us entered the main room, where the detectives desk was, once again, and he sat back down as me and Spence walked over to a large board.

Spencer began to put up the photos of the boy and information about where they found him, as I looked around the room. I looked across into a room were Hotchner was sitting with a couple. They were crying. That must be billy's family.

"It's heartbreaking seeing people like that" I muttered, causing Spencer to look around, before following my line of sight to the room.

"How do you do it?" I quizzed.

"Its worth it to see them once the person responsible is caught" He turned his attention back to the board once more, and i looked over at him. I couldn't help but smile as I saw him working. You could tell he loved what he was doing, and it was so sweet.

At that moment Rossi and Prentis walked in, and headed straight over to us.

"What happened?" I asked them "Did she accuse her father?"

"Quite the opposite. She tried to say that she had made a mistake, there was no boy, and she protected her father" Prentis replied, shaking her head, "Garcia checked her mental health history and shes had counselling after her mother died, but other than that, nothing"

"We can talk to her, but we cant force her to help us" Rossi said.

"Something in her gut brought her here, and if theres any truth to what she reported there will be evidence of a missing boy 30 years ago"

"Have Garcia check unsolved cases. Also JB Allens history. We can't rule anyone out" Prentis nodded and wandered off, phone in hand, and i quickly turned to Hotchner.

"How's Derek doing with the boy?"

"Hes so traumatised he isnt speaking to anyone"

I shook my head, sadness filling me. How could someone do this to such a young boy. As I looked up I noticed something out the corner of my eye. A familiar face has walked into the room. Samantha Allen.

"Hotch" I muttered, nodding in her direction. He gestured me towards him as he began to walk in her direction.


	6. He Doesn't Seem Unhinged

Hotch led Samantha down to a questioning room and sat her down in front of the desk, before coming into the room with the rest of us, behind the one way mirror.

"Prentis, I want you and Faith to talk to her"

My eyes obviously widened in fear because Hotch looked directly at me and said

"Don't worry Faith, I just want you to listen in and be in that kind of enviroment to learn"

"Ok then" I breathed a sigh of relief before following Prentis into the other room again. We sat down on the other side of the table to Samantha and the interview began.

"I'm Emily Prentis, and this is Faith Matthews" I smiled in Sam's direction

"Nice to meet you" Sam said quietly to us

"So let's start with today. What brought you in here?" Emily began,

"I saw that boy on the news, and I saw... Um... I can't really explain it" Sam stuttered as she shook her head, looking down at the table. "It was like a movie... In fast forward... It was dark, so dark. And that little boy, he had the same chains on his ankles... And then it was over. Thos flashed that I saw... Of the boy... Was he real?"

"That's what we're here to find out" Prentis answered. "I want to try something to help you remember that night"

"Ok" Sam whispered

"Close youre eyes for me"

Sam sighed, and did as Emily said, tightly closing her eyes. I watched carefully as Emily began. This could be a useful tool for me.

"Concentrate on your breathing. You said it was dark. You're in your pjammers"

"Yes... I was burning up"

"Probably a fever. What did you do?" Emily was speaking slowly and quietly.

"I called out for my mum. But she was so ill and so weak. So I got into her bed"

"Was your dad there?"

"No"

"Did you hear anything?" I looked at Sam's face, I could see her starting to frown.

"My mum's breathing"

"Was she having trouble?"

"Yes. It was a strange sound"

"Was there another noise in the house?" Emily's voice was still slow and gentle.

"There's something else. But i can't see anything, so I followed it... My feet are so cold"

"Because you are outside?" Emily looked confused

"No. The basement. Then I got too scared, I go back to my parent's bedroom. Mommy!" A tear trickled down her cheek. "I peeked out the window, theres... there's the boy"

"What's he doing?"

"He's trying to get out the truck... He's trying to get out the truck!"

"Is your dad driving the truck?" Emily's voice was louder now, questioning.

"No, no, no he couldn't have done that!" Sam's eyes shot open "You don't understand. He raised me in that house, and couldn't have been doing this all these years! NO!"

"Ok... Ok" Emily tried to calm her down, and as she did, Sam burst into tears. I quickly stood up and pulled her into a hug. It had to be her father though, because no one would have had this reaction when it wasn't true.

"Faith. Prentis. With me please" Hotch said, poking his head around the door to the interview room. We quickly followed him, and he led us back into the room behind the one way mirror once more.

"I think it's her dad" Rossi said.

"I think the same thing" I replied, "No one will have that reaction towards a memory if it isn't true"

"Exactly" Rossi replied, smiling towards me.

"I have a plan" Hotch began. "We need to stake out his house. Spencer and Faith, you will be sent out, we will have you undercover, camera's set up surrounding his house and streaming to the back of a van"

I nodded and looked over at Spencer. This could be interesting.

Within the hour, me and Spencer were sat in the back on an undercover van that was made to look like an electritions van. I stared at one of the monitors that was pointing at the front of the house intently, all he was doing was gardening.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked, looking at me with a confused look on his face.

"Absolutely nothing" I chuckled, looking around at him. My stomach filled with butterflies as my eyes locked with his. Why was I nervous whenever I was around him? Not a bad nervous. The same nervous I was whenever I was around Dan in the past.

"You ok?" He asked. I realised I was staring. Quickly, i looked back at the monitor again.

"Yeah... Yeah I'm fine" I glanced back at him quickly and smiled.

"Good" He replied, turning his attention back to the paperwork. How did I let myself get into this situation again? I didn't want to have feelings for anyone. Not since Dan. I thought he was perfect, and look what happened.

*Ring Ring*

I looked over at Spence, but he was looking at me,

"Not me" He muttered. I quickly rummaged in my bag and grabbed my phone, swiping my finger across the screen and lifting it to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked

"Faith!" It was Erin.

"Oh hey" I replied, a smile on my face

"Hows the trial?" She quizzed.

"Well... It's kinda turned into a case, rather than a trial" I laughed, moving my blue fringe from my eyes and I looked down at some paperwork that Spencer had given me to read.

"A case? Does that mean you have the job?!" I could hear her getting more excited.

"She has the job?!" I heard Phil from the background. I laughed again, shaking my head.

"I don't know guys"

"When will you be home?"

"Erm..." I turned to Spencer again. "Hey Spence, when will we be back home?"

"Tomorrow at the latest" He said

"Who's that?" Erin quizzed again. I should have known. I could practically hear the smile on her face.

"It's another agent" I answered.

"What's he like?" She's been trying to find me someone else since Dan. She said it would make me feel better.

"Nice" I replied, glancing to my right to check Spencer couldn't hear me.

"Yay!" She squeaked "We'll talk about it when you get back. Get back to work agent matthews!"

"Yes ma'am" I joked, hanging up and looking back down at the paperwork again.

"Friend?" Spencer quizzed suddenly.

"And roommate" I laughed. "She's just checking in. She didn't know how long I'd be"

Spencer nodded, and flicked over the page, running his finger down it really quickly. How can someone read 20,000 words a minute!? It was insane!

*Ring Ring*

"You this time" I said. Spencer smiled and picked up his phone, sliding his chair closer to me and putting it on speaker.

"Hey hotch" He said. He was so close I could smell his aftershave, and his leg was pressed against mine.

"What's he doing?"

"If JB Allen is the unsub he definitely doesnt seem unhinged. All we've done is watch his do some landscaping since we've been here"

"At his house?"

"Yes"

"Is it isolated?"

"Incredibly isolated and theres a lot of land" Reid said, picking up his paperwork again. "we've been going over what Garcia sent us on JB Allen, he started his contracting business in 1975, married Sam's mum in the same year. She died when Sam was 5, as we know, and despite building loads of new houses since then, he had decided to remain in the same house he lived in with his wife"

"So its either sentimental, or he's changed the house to hide the bodies so he can't sell it" Hotch answered

"Exactly" Reid nodded, placing the paperwork down

"Hotch, hows Derek doing with the boy?" I spoke up

"He's not responding properly still, but we have found out his name is Angel, and we have located his mother"

I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled

"Well thats something" I muttered. "Speak to you later"


	7. Now All We Have Is Angel

(Authors Note: I'm not properly fond on this chapter, but I felt like I just needed to power through it. I might go back and change it at some point, but for now, this is all I have)

We continued to sit in the van, watching the monitors, until JB Allen walked back into his house. I sighed and stretched, leaning back into my chair.

"Found anything else?" I quizzed, looking to my right at Spencer, who was writing some notes.

"Not really, I was just writing what was happening on the monitors" He placed his pen down on the table and closed his notebook before turning to me

"You know, you're doing really well today" He smiled. I couldn't help but smile back

"Thanks"

"I'm so glad that Hotch listened to me" He looked back at the monitors

"What?" I quizzed, a confused look crossing my face. Did he really recommend me?

"I told Hotch that I could tell you would do well, even though you were so young. We usually don't have young agents"

"Except you" I smirked

"Yeah, except me"

"Well. thank you for believing in me" I smiled again as I stared into his dark eyes.

Just then, Spencers phone began to buzzed. He quickly looked away from me and picked up his phone, pressing the speaker and holding it between us.

"You're on speaker" Spencer said, looking back up at me quickly.

"We're sending Samantha into the house. We think maybe if she goes back to where she first saw everything all those years ago it may trigger more memories"

"Ok then"

"She will have a mic, so Rossi and Prentis will be joining you in the van, where you can hear whats going on. They're on the way now"

Within 10 minutes, Rossi and Prentis arrived and entered the van. Sam was in her truck and pulled up on her fathers drive, quickly calling through to Prentis.

"You only have to talk to him Sam, you can do this" Prentis said as me and Rossi watched the monitors closely. Reid pulled out his notepad and and picked up his pen once more, beginning to take notes on what was about to happen. Prentis hung up, and Rossi handed out ear pieces.

Quickly I pressed it into my ear as I watched Sam enter the house.

"Dad? You here?" I heard her call out.

"Back here" He replied.

"Your yard looks good!"

"Thanks. The kids at your work said you were going to Pheonix, but i saw your truck at the police station earlier" Oh god! He saw her. I pressed my finger into my other ear to listen harder. Please God, dont let him hurt her.

"Oh... Yeah, their order for potted plants came in so I just dropped it off"

"Ah right" Thank god, he brought it.

"You want some chilli Sam?"

"It smells good dad but I can't stay"

"Since when?"

"He's not trying to get rid of her" Rossi said

"Not yet" Prentis quickly responded. We all quickly went back to listening to the conversation

"Hey dad is my old catchers mit still down in the basement?" She was going for it. Now we would find out if he was hiding anything

"Yeah why?"

"I was thinking about coaching softball"

"Yeah? That's great!"

"Yeah, so can i go grab it?"

"Let me get it" He was trying to stop her.

"No, no it's ok dad"

"Nah I don't think so, i've got boxes everywhere. I've been sorting through some things. Thinking of having a yard sale. You in?"

"Sure, sounds good. But come on, I can get it"

"Suit yourself"

"He let her go down there" Rossi muttered, leaning back into his chair and looking over at Prentis.

"Yeah... But he hesitated"

"Hes not acting like there's anything to hide Emily" I whispered

"That's how he's gotten away with it" She snapped back at me. I didn't realise anyone could be so hard headed. It's like she was convinced this guy was guilty and she wouldn't give up until it was proven.

"We dont know that" Rossi responded to her. She huffed and shook her head.

Samatha was hurrying out the house at this point so we all removed our ear pieces. Suddenly there was a ringing and emily picked her phone up again.

"I'm so sorry" I heard in a quiet mumble from the other end of the phone.

"It's ok" Emily replied. "You did everything we asked"

The phone went dead, and Emily sighed and placed it on the table beside her.

"Now all we have is Angel" Rossi muttered again. I nodded and sighed.


	8. Oh Thank You Agent!

I walked into the police station once more, my cup of coffee gripped firmly in my hand. Spencer, Rossi, Emily and Hotch were going over the evidence of the case on the board on the one side of the room. On the other, sat on one of the waiting sofa was Samantha. She looked so upset. I couldn't just leave her alone.

I wandered over quickly, and stood about a metre in front of her. She glanced up at me and wiped a tear away from her eye.

"You ok?" I asked quietly.

"I feel liked a failed" She dropped her head into her hands, so i sat beside her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as she cried silently.

"You didn't though" I stroked her back gently.

"Like I failed him" She stuttered. Oh. "How could I actually think he'd done all of this?"

"You know what I think?"

"What?" She glanced up at me

"You might not like it. But I'm here to be honest" I took my arm from around her and turned to face her, looking into her bloodshot eyes. She shrugged so I took a deep breath and continued.

"I think it took more than just an old memory to come in here. There must have been something about your dads behaviour or things that he's done that bothered you in the past" Sam looked down at the floor, I could see that I was right. I was pretty good at reading people (I suppose that was a good thing in this job!) So I continued.

"You buried the memories. You lost your mom when you were young. It would have been too much to lose your dad too. Repressing memories is a defence mechanism that everyone has to get through hard times"

She sniffed, wiped her eyes and looked back up at me again.

"What... What else did I bury?"

Hurray! I was right! I thought for a second and then continued.

"His mood swings maybe? Do you remember him ever being really happy one day and then quite miserable or angry the next?"

Sam's mouth dropped open slightly, a worried look crossing her face.

"Yeah"

"When he was angry did he ever buy you gifts?" I remembered seeing somewhere in the paperwork that items of the victims went missing with them. I think I might have been onto something!

She stuttered a little and then said

"How did you know that?"

"What did he give you?"

"A bike once" She wiped her eyes again quickly and ruffled her hair as she thought.

"Was it one you'd asked for?"

"No it was a BMX" That was definitely in the paperwork. If figuring this out didn't get me the job nothing would!

"Anything else?" I quizzed

"The catchers mit..."

I stood up, gesturing her after me. I had to make sure this was definitely a lead. I needed the date that Angel went missing, and too see if he had anything with him. This guy was kidnapping boys, and everything he had given Sam was something a boy would have with him whilst he was out.

I walked over to the board, quickly weaving my way past Rossi and Spencer to scan across the paper clipped on there for dates. Got it.

"What about a few years ago? Like 2004? Did he give you anything that year?" I looked around at her, ignoring the confused faces of everyone stood around me.

"Thats the year he gave me Randy" She spoke quietly.

"Randy?" I asked quickly

"My... My Dog" She answered, looking at the case photos of Angel stuck up on the board. "He was just a puppy then"

"What's going on" Rossi asked me. I turned to him and began

"Sam's dad has been giving her gifts. Something the boys had with them during each abduction. Like trophies"

"Well that's definitely significant" He replied

"I didnt know thats what they were" Sam sobbed. I wrapped her into a hug, and spoke to Hotch over her shoulder.

"We need to know if Angel had a puppy the day he was taken"

I rubbed her back as she sobbed into my shoulder. She's just discovered her dad has been kidnapping innocent children and maybe doing horrible things to them. This must be killing her .

Hotch quickly called Derek , and asked him what we needed to know.

"A puppy?" I heard him ask from down the phone.

"Some of the neighbours were giving them away that day" A womans voice said. That must have been Angels mum. "They had a whole box"

"You hear that?" Derek asked. Sam pulled away slightly to look around at Hotch.

"Yeah thanks Derek"

"Hotch, one more thing. We're trying to get a dental match on Angel. He is covered in bite marks"

Sam whimpered, lifting her hand to her mouth like she was about to be sick.

"What is it?" I quizzed asked her.

"My dad had his teeth re-capped a few years ago. He said something like 'that's what happens when you get older'. He made a joke out of it"

I quickly looked over towards Rossi and Hotch, a look on my face that said 'It's him'. They were obviously thinking the same thing because they quickly gathered their things and left, Prentis close behind them.

I sat Sam down on one of the chairs close by and quickly ran off to the vending machine to get her a bottle of water. I smiled to myself as I grabbed it from the bottom and began to wander back. Had I just figured out this case? I mean, we had a good idea that it was JB Allen, but was it me that confirmed it? I was so happy with myself.

I quickly handed her the bottle and sat down on the top of the desk, looking over towards Reid who was drawing circles on a map.

"What you doing?" I asked

"Trying to determine where he met the kids. He must have known them. He took them from outside their houses. The only problem is, he has so many places he goes, being in the construction business"

*Ring Ring*

I glanced at the front of my phone to see the name 'Penelope' on the front.

"You might get more of an idea" I said to Spencer as I swiped my finger across the screen and put the phone on speaker.

"Your on speaker Garcia" I said, as Spencer wandered over.

"Hey there newbie!" She said happily "So I tracked down JD Allen's property development for the past 30 years and they're all over Arizona. Sending it to you now. You and Reid should be able to make more sense of it that I can"

"Thanks" I replied, opening my bag and grabbing the tablet out.

"See you later!" Garcia finished, hanging up the phone. I placed my phone on the desk and glanced down at the tablet, as a map appeared on my screen. I handed it to Spence, and he quickly took it over to his map and began to mark out locations.

"Sam, the one thing your memory and Angel's escape have in common is he was getting rid of both the boys. He would only do that if he had his eye on another boy already. It means he met his victims before" I said, looking down at Sam. She shook her head in confusion,

"How? I mean, they were hours apart"

"Look at the towns" Spence clipped the map up on the board and turned it to face us slightly more. "He had sub-divisions in all of them. Construction sites are a magnet for 10 to 12 year old boys"

Sam looked shocked one again.

"He... He gave kids a ride on the back of his truck all the time"

I looked over at Spencer quickly. We were both thinking the same thing. That was how he chose them.

"They would line up for it... Oh God... I didn't know"

I grabbed my phone and began to dial Hotch quickly, as Spence began to scan over the map again.

"We know how he targeted them" I said quickly as Hotch picked up.

"The construction sites" Dammit! They already knew.

"Yeah"

"See if Sam remembers a particular one he took her too frequently. He keeps his victims for years, the burial site would be some place special that he would have a reason to revisit"

I turned to Sam and asked her exactly what Hotch had just said to me. She stuttered as she replied

"His first development"

"Where is that?" I asked quickly.

"In masa. Every few years he adds onto it"

Spencer quickly got the address and headed over to me.

"He builds another house?" I asked her

"He says it's the place that reminds him how he got started. Like the foundation for everything"

"You hear that?" I asked Hotch.

"Loud and clear" He replied. Spencer quickly gave him the address, and then Hotch said.

"Matthews?" He was calling me by my last name?

"Yeah?"

"Good work"

I smiled and thanked him as he hung up. I placed my phone back in my pocket and excused myself for a moment. If they were heading after JB Allen now, that meant they would be closing in on Billy. I didn't know whether he was alive or not, but I thought his parents would like to know, and since they were still here I thought Id go and speak to them.

I knocked on the door of the room they were in and let myself in.

"Mr and Mrs Henderson?" I asked. They both looked over at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Yes?" The mom whimpered

"I thought i would let you know we know who took Billy, and we know where he is. Several of the Agents have gone to find his as we speak. So hopefully soon this will all be over"

I had barely finished the sentence when Billy's mum threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tight.

"Oh thank you Agent!" She cried, I hugged her back.

"No problem"


	9. Permanent!

It wasnt long until Hotch returned, Rossi close behind him with a young blond boy walking close beside him, his arm in a sling. Billy's parents both ran over, wrapping him into a hug, tears trickling down their faces. I wiped my eyes as tears began to role down my own face. Spence was right, this was totally worth seeing them earlier.

"Come here" Hotch said, pulling me into a hug. I rested my chin on his shoulder, my eyes closed.

"I need to talk to you" He said, as he let go.

"Ok" I replied. I looked back towards the door to see JB Allen walk through in handcuffs. Quickly I glanced around at Sam. She was staring at him, anger and sadness evident in her eyes.

I rubbed her arm on the way past as I followed Hotch down a hallway into an interrogation room.

"Am I being interrogated?" I chuckled, sitting behind a desk

"Not quite" He replied, sitting opposite me "I just wanted to have a word with you about this job"

"Ok" I replied, starting to get a little nervous.

"I want to offer you one, but not quite the one you were under the impression you would get" He said. I looked at him, a confused look crossing my face.

"I want to offer you a permanent job as an agent for the BAU"

"What?!" I exclaimed in shock. He smiled and nodded, and I shot up out of my chair pulling him into a hug again. I heard him chuckle and he hugged me back.

"Right, back to work. It's time to go home" He said, letting me go.

"Yes sir" I replied, rushing back down the hallway to grab my things. Spencer was pushing all his paperwork back into his folder ( a pretty normal thing to see him doing ) as I entered the room.

"You look happy" He laughed, seeing the huge smile across my face.

"Hotch offered me a permanent job!" I exclaimed "I'm going to be an Agent!"

"That's great" Spencer replied, a smile crossing his own face. I shoved the tablet and some paperwork in my bag and soon we were heading back towards the jet once more.

On the jet, Hotchner told all the other agents that I was going to be working with them perminently, and all of them were very welcoming.

I literally couldnt wait to get to work the next day and find out what would be happening.

We landed in Virginia once more and each us were soon heading back home. I had barely made it through the door when Erin appeared at the end of the hall.

"You're back!" She squeaked

"Well look at that!" I said sarcastically, starting to chuckle.

"How'd it go?" She replied after rolling her eyes. I kicked off my shoes near the door and headed towards her.

"Not too bad" I smirked, entering the kitchen and hopping up onto a breakfast bar stool.

"Not too bad?" She quizzed, handing my a bottle of juice out of the fridge.

"They offered me a job" I replied. She squealed and pulled me into a hug. "Permanently" I whispered

"OH MY GOD FAITH!" She yelled excitedly.

"Jesus Erin don't deafen me!" I rubbed my ear as she let go of me.

"We need to celebrate or something!"

"Considering everyone we know is in the UK i don't know how well that will go" I chuckled, sipping my juice.

*Ring Ring*

I looked down at my phone again, and once more saw the name 'Penelope' on the front of it.

"Hello" I quizzed

"Hey! I wanted to call you and say congratulations and welcome to our little family"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm

"Thank you"

"Look, we're all going to a meal later if you wanna join us?"

"That would be awesome"

"Ill pick you up around 9ish if that's ok?"

"Ok. I live at -" I began but was cut off

"I know where you live" She laughed. I forgot she was the tech-girl. She probably knew everything about me. "See you later. Get some sleep or something for a bit"

"Thanks, and see you later"


	10. A Vintage Cadillac Convertible

"People from work want me to go out tonight for a meal" I said to Erin as she finished making coffee's

"Awesome! Will be great to get to know them a little better" She smiled, handing me my cup before we wandered into the lounge. She took a seat beside Phil and I lay down on the other sofa, before glancing at the time. 10am. Jesus, I'd been working all night!

"So..." Erin started, I smirked and looked over at her, waiting for the inevitable question

"So?" I asked

"What's this Spencer like?" There it was!

"He's ok" I shrugged. Even I couldn't mask the smile creeping across my face.

"You like him!" She squealed at me. Phil jumped at her sudden outburst.

"What's going on?" He asked

"Faith likes a guy from work"

"I didnt confirm that!" I laughed, sitting up and sipping my coffee.

"Do you?"

"I don't know him yet. I've only been working with him for 1 day. And I only spoke to him for about 20 minutes before that. That isn't really enough time to 'like' someone" I placed my coffee on the table next to the sofa and leant back into my chair again.

"But you're attracted to him?"

"He's cute, yeah"

"Well you're going to be together a lot more now!"

She was right. I smiled at the thought. Maybe something would come of it? Dammit Faith... Don't get ahead of yourself here! You only broke up with Dan a month ago.

"I suppose you're right" I replied, my eyelids feeling heavy. "I'm gonna get some sleep. See you later"

I stood up and wandered upstairs, taking a quick shower before tying my hair into a braid and changing into a oversized baseball tshirt and shorts.

I lay in bed, looking around me at the moving boxes. I had completely forgot I hadnt done that yet. Hopefully i would get some time in the next few days to do it.

Within the next few minutes, I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

I woke up around 7.30pm, and quickly flicked the duvet off me so that i could start digging through my messy moving boxes, looking for something to wear.

"No... No... no, no, no" I muttered to myself, flinging clothes out of each box. Eventually I settled on a short black dress, which stopped halfway down my thighs, and a pair of lita high heels. I pulled on the clothes, before grabbing my make-up bag and heading to the bathroom to begin trying to make myself look more awake.

Once my face was done, I took out my braid, letting my hair remain wavy. I just back combed the top slightly and ran my fingers through the rest, so that i didnt brush out the waves.

I checked the time again once I was finished, 8.15 flashing on the front of the clock. So I shoved my phone, ID and some cash into a small light blue handbag before heading downstairs.

"Ooh someone's dressed up" Erin chuckled as I entered the lounge.

"You look great" Phil added, his arm wrapped around Erin's shoulders as they lay on the sofa together.

"Thanks" I replied, taking a seat on the other sofa, and smoothing the skirt of my dress.

We sat and watched some TV until there was a knock at the door. I stood up, and quickly hurried down the hallway to the front door, pulling it open quickly.

"Hey Penelope" I smiled, stepping aside to let her in.

"Hey hun! You look fantastic!" She replied, in her usual bubbly voice. She was dressed in a knee length pink and white checked dress, a small white jacket and yet another pair of glittery heels. Her hair was perfectly straight, with a pink headband to finish the look.

"You too" She pulled me into a hug, and I quickly called to Erin and Phil before heading out the house after Garcia. She drove a vintage Cadillac convertible, and soon we were heading towards the restaurant with the top down.


	11. I Say After This, We Go To A Bar

We entered the resturant, my mouth salavating as the smell of chinese food filled the air. I hadnt eaten all day, i would kill for some food!

We were led to a table at the back where the rest of the group were already sat, and we were quickly seated. I ordered a Malibu and orange and turned my attention to the ongoing conversation, glancing at each person.

"So I heard from JJ, she said the baby's due in a few weeks time" Prentis said, a smile crossing her face "It will be nice for her to start a family. She's been with Will for a while now"

I had no idea who JJ or Will were, but from the way everyone spoke about her, I knew that she was very important to the team. I suppose one day she may become important to me too. Who knows.

The waiter brought mine and Penelope's drinks over, and Rossi tapped his glass with his knife gently.

"I want to propose a toast" He announced. I noticed him looking in my direction and knew where this toast was about to go.

"It't not every day we welcome a new member into our family. But from how this last case went, we can tell that you will be a valuble member. To Faith!"

I smiled as everyone raised there glasses, and I quickly took a sip. It was nice to finally be aprechiated at my job. Working in care homes, shops and fast food resturants weren't exactly great places to work. My reptile buisness was somewhat better, but I could never guarentee anything with it. This job would be a steady job, the team were great, and it was something that would be worth it. After every case, seeing at least one person have piece of mine would make my day.

We soon all stood up and made our way over to a buffet table, filling our plates with anything that took our fancy. Soon I had a plate full of noodles, sweet and sour chicken, rice and shredded duck. (dont mean to offend any vegitariens, but i'm really not one).

I took my seat between Spence and Penelope once more, and began to tuck in. The table had only been set with chopsticks, but luckily today wasn't a day I would make a fool out of myself (maybe after a few more drinks? Hope not!). Back when I lived in the UK, Erin had taught me how to use chopsticks for when we went to these kind of meals. Before that I had no clue and used to stab aimlessly at my meal. Which soon I noticed, Spence was doing.

As a waiter passed by, he leaned back in his chair and whispered.

"Do you have a fork?"

Derek began chuckling to himself, as Spence turned back to everyone and said

"It's hard to believe 1.3 billion people stay nourished with these things" He lay the chopsticks down beside his plate.

"You don't know how to use them do you?" Derek smirked over

"It's like trying to forage for food with a pair of pencils" He replied.

"Here" I picked up his chopsticks and passing him one. "Rest the first one in the crook of your thumb" I passed him the second "Hold this one like a pencil"

He did as I said pretty quickly, and I picked my own chopsticks up in the same way.

"Now just move the top one" I picked up a piece of chicken to show. It wasn't long before Spencer had figured it out, and he turned to me.

"Thanks" I blushed slightly as I smiled in responce, turning back to my food. As I glanced to my right I noticed a strange glimmer in Penelope's eye. Oh god, had she seen me blushing?! Luckily everyone else had been talking amongst themselves, but obviously she had been watching. She smirked and began eating again, but for the rest of the meal, my stomach turned at the thought that someone had noticed how I acted around Spencer.

As we ate desert, several drinks later, Penelope spoke out to the group

"I say after this, we go to a bar, have a few drinks, dance a little and have a good night!" She took another long sip of her drink and smiled at Derek.

"I'm in! Pretty boy?" He glanced towards Spencer, who nodded, before shotting his Whisky.

"Yeah, sounds like fun"

"Faith?" Penelope smiled. My vision was slightly blurred with the alcohol, but I managed to smile and nod.

"Sorry guys, I've got some paperwork to finish" Hotch added. Soon after, Rossi and Emily pulled out of coming with us, so it ended up just being me, Penelope, Derek and Spencer.


	12. I Can't Dance!

We finished dinner, and me, Spencer and Derek were dropped off at the club whilst Penelope dropped her car home (so she could come back and drink).

We all wandered up to the bar, ordering our drinks, and then walked over to a nearby table, taking a seat.

"So, Faith. How you enjoying the BAU?" Derek asked, sipping on his beer. I took a long sip of my cocktail, my vision still slightly blurred,

"I love it!" I squealed, giggling. Dammit, maybe I'd had too much. Actually there was no maybe about it.

"Well that's good" Derek chuckled back. He put his beer on the table and looked over at Spencer, who was holding onto his glass of whisky and staring blankly at the dance floor. Looks like maybe i wasn't the only one who had too much.

"Pretty boy" Derek muttered. Spence quickly looked up at him, and smiled slightly. "Watch my beer, Im taking Faith for a minute" Spencer nodded as Derek grabbed my hand, and began to pull me up. No! No not the dance floor!

"I can't dance!" I giggled, as we stood in the centre, surrounded by people.

"Sure you can!" Derek grabbed hold of my hands and moved them back and forth. I laughed again as I swayed from side to side. "Come on! Your 20 not 80! Dance a little!"

I began to move my hips a little more and stepped side to side. Derek smiled and started dancing with me. The lighting and the movement made me feel a little sick, but I was so happy I didn't really care. I glanced to the right where Spencer was sat, and noticed Penelope was now here and talking to him.

I turned my attention back to Derek, placing my arm on his shoulder for support as we danced.

"Faith!" A voice suddenly said. I looked right again, and was face to face with Penelope. She smirked as she said "Can I steal you for a minute?"

"Sure" I replied, letting go of Derek and wandering towards the bathroom with Penelope.

We entered and she locked the door behind us.

"Whats up?" I asked, holding the sink and giggling to myself at my total lack of balance.

"What was going on at dinner?" She laughed at me, staring me dead in the eye.

"What do you mean?" I replied. Even in my drunken state i knew what she meant.

"I saw the way you were looking at Reid. All smiley and stuff. Spill the beans!"

"There are no beans to be spilled" I answered "Nothing is going on. I just happen to have a crush on him" I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth. Unfortunately that meant me letting go of the sink, and therefore falling onto my ass. Penelope burst out laughing as she held a hand out to help me up. I clambered back to my feet and held onto Penelope's shoulders.

"Please don't tell him" I begged. She laughed at me again and smoothed my hair.

"I wont, but you are forgetting one major thing"

"What?!" I practically yelled.

"He's a profiler faith. He probably already knows"

Shit. Shit she was right. He was a profiler. I turned to the sink and clutched on for dear life.

"you ok?" She asked, "You gonna be sick?"

I wasn't sure. I shook my hair and looked in the mirror. my eyes were red and bloodshot from the alcohol. My lipstick had disappeared, but my eye make up was still there. That wasnt really a good thing, cause it made the red of my eyes stand out even more.

"Look, Faith. If he knows surely its a good thing? I mean, maybe he likes you back?"

"We've known each other for 3 days Penelope"

"Reid gets attached to things a lot quicker than most" She answered "Its just who he is"

I looked around at her

"but there is one problem"

"Whats that?" I quizzed.

"I don't know how well the BAU will take it. So if something does happen. You'll just have to act like close friends for a while"

"Should be easy enough" I shrugged. Penelope smiled and unlocked the door, leading me back out into the club again.

She nodded her head towards Spencer, and I smiled, knowing instantly what she meant. I wandered over, and sat beside him.

"Hey!" I squeaked at him. He smiled, and shotted his whisky.

"Hi!"

"So, how the hell are we going to work tomorrow" I laughed

"I honestly have no idea"

"Well if you have no idea we're all screwed" We both giggled.

"I don't know about me. I don't know where my alarm clock is right now. In a packing box somewhere i suppose. You'll have to call me or something to wake me up"

"If you want you can sleep at mine? You can have the bed, im used to sleeping on the sofa"

A sleepover at Spencers. My drunk mind was going crazy!

"That would be perfect!"


	13. You Ok With This?

**Authors Note: Those of you that get awkward reading smutty stuff, I'd just skip this chapter XD It's not really a necessity to the story tbh :P Those of you that are ok with it, enjoy. But trust me when i say, thats as far as i could take it. I was literally giggling awkwardly to myself whilst writing it XD **

The rest of the night in the club went great. We all danced, and drank a bit more, and soon we were all waiting for taxi's outside the nightclub.

"Well, I will see you guys tomorrow!" Penelope said as she clambered into a taxi with Derek. He was making sure she got home safely, since he was quite protective of her. I waved and sat myself down on the low wall beside me as they drove away. I watched them leave (as well as i could with my vision right now) before resting my head in my hands.

"You ok?" Spencer asked, placing himself beside me.

"I'm good" I looked up, a little too quickly, causing myself to slip backwards on the wall.

"Wow careful" Spence laughed at me as he quickly grabbed me, steadying me again. I giggled and leant my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. Strangely he didnt mind. He just wrapped his arm around me, stroking my shoulder.

It wasnt long before our taxi turned up, and Spence helped me over to it, telling the driver his address.

We arrived, and clambered the stairs, giggling at the fact neither of us could walk in a straight line. We reached his door and fell through it into the lounge.

"Nice place" I said. It was quite dark. The walls were painted dark green, and there were bookcases taking up the whole left side, floor to ceiling. Even though there were that many shelves for them, there were still books littering the floor and every visible surface.

"Thanks" Spencer replied, "bedrooms just through there"

He pointed at a door on the right. I glanced towards it, then back at Spencer, who was just looking at me.

"What?" I quizzed.

"Nothing" He quickly replied, looking away and placing his jacket on the back of the sofa.

I wandered into the bedroom, which was decorated in much the same way, and took a seat on the end of the bed as i unzipped my litas from my feet, instant relief filling me as they fell to the floor. I stood and made my way to the top of the bed and pulled down the covers, smiling as I noticed yet another book poking out from under the pillow. I picked it up and made my way into the lounge. I couldn't help but stare as I looked over at Spence. His hair was slightly messier than usual, his shirt untucked, and unbuttoned a little, no tie. I actually really liked the scruffy look on him.

"I er..." I started

"Whats up?" He glanced over at me to see me cradling the book. I was glad the room was darker now, hopefully he wouldn't see me blushing! I just held out the book a little more, and he quickly walked forward and took it from me, placing it carefully on the coffee table.

"You must like that one" I said, gesturing towards it.

"My mum gave it to me" He looked around at it, and then back at me. His dark brown eyes locked with my hazel ones, not saying anything. But he really didnt need to. He was standing quite close, and without even thinking (maybe it was the alcohol in me) I stood on tip toes, and gently kissed him. To my surprise he kissed me back, one of his arms around my waist, holding me close and steadying me, and the other around my shoulders. The kiss was so incredible my head began to spin even more. Thank god he was steadying me.

I pulled away for a second and looked up at him, worriedly muttering

"Are you ok with this?"

He simply nodded and ducked his head towards mine, locking his lips with mine once more. As the kiss deepened, I found myself tugging at his shirt buttons, carefully undoing each one. Once all of them were undone, Spence pulled away from the kiss long enough to shake the shirt free. I quickly pulled him to the sofa, clambering on top of him before crashing my lips down on his once more. His hands stroked down my back and reached the bottom of my dress, I was expecting him to pull it up but he didn't. I pulled back once again, looking down at him.

"You sure you're ok?"

"I er..." He stuttered. Strange, he never usually had trouble getting words out.

"Spence... have you not done this before?" He smiled nervously at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I didn't mind. I just knew now that I would be the one taking control of this situation. And luckily my drunk brain didn't have a problem with that.

I grasped the hem of my dress and pulled it off myself, sitting as confidently as I could in my underwear, and ducked my lips to meet his, before trailing kissing down his neck to his pulse point. My heartbeat quickened as I heard him groan, and i could help but smirk proudly to myself before continuing.

About an hour later our friendship was effectively ruined, and we were both passed out of the sofa, a blanket covering us...


	14. What Had I Done?

*Ring Ring*

I groaned as my eyes flickered open and quickly shut again from the light. My head was pounding and I felt slightly nauseous. Jesus, how much had I drank?

My answer came when I heard a voice.

"Hello?"

My eyes shot open once more. I blinked several times and squinted in the direction of the voice. Spence was sat up at the end of the sofa... Of course... I remember...

I ruffled my hair and held the blanket close to me whilst I sat up as well, causing him to quickly glance towards me. I smiled, but noticed he looked upset. Wow, I'd really fucked up. I shouldn't have got so drunk, and I should have gone home instead of staying here. I reached out and picked up my dress, slipping it over my head before standing up, grabbing my phone and heading towards the bathroom.

I could tell Spence wasnt on the phone to work, so I was confused why he seemed so upset. Maybe it was just me? Maybe he had so much to drink that he completely forgot what happened when he woke up? Can that happen to someone with an eidetic memory? A million questions buzzed through my head as I unlocked my phone and glanced at the time. 7.40. We didn't have to be at work for another hour and 20 minutes.

I quickly went into my contacts and began dialling Erin and she answered after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Erin hey. can you do me a favour?" I asked as I looked at myself in a mirror. Holy shit no wonder Spence looked so upset, I looked a mess.

"Sure, whats up?"

"Can you go into my room and find me something smart to wear?" I began scrubbing my face with the flannel that was sat on the sink.

"Are you not in there?"

"Jesus Erin, you aren't very observant" I giggled. I looked in the mirror once more at my now plain face. I couldn't tell which was worse. This or the scary panda face.

"Where are you?"

"Im..." I glanced towards the door as if I could see where Spence was before whispering "I'm at Spencers"

"Oh my God Faith!" Erin laughed. I shook my head and ruffled my hair in an attempt to tame it. "Did you...?"

"Erin I don't really wanna be talking about it whilst i'm locked in his bathroom. We aren't in high school" I perched myself on the side of the bath and stared at the floor.

"YOU DID!"

I pulled the phone away from my ear as Erin's shouting called out the speaker

"Jesus Erin don't deafen me!" I said as I held it to my ear again. "You in my room yet?"

"Yeah. Gotta tell you, it's hard to find anything amongst the moving boxes"

"I know. I haven't really had time to unpack. But the weekend starts after I finish work tonight so I'll do it then"

"Black trousers and black t-shirt ok?"

"Perfect. I'll be there in about 20 minutes"

I said goodbye and hung up the phone before venturing into the lounge again. Spencer was stood over in his kitchen area, now fully clothed in a pair of brown trousers and a white shirt.

"Morning" I muttered awkwardly.

"Hey" He responded in a quite voice. He turned to me, holding out a cup of coffee, which I took gratefully.

"Are you ok?" I quizzed. He sipped his own coffee before nodding at me and smiling. I could tell it was forced.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Just... Never mind" I perched myself on the sofa as I sipped more coffee. He obviously didn't want to talk about it, so I guessed it better to leave it.

"I had better rush home and get changed in a minute. Short black dresses aren't really appropriate for work I don't think" I placed the mug on the coffee table and looked over at Spencer. I know he wasn't happy about what happened, but I didn't want him to think I was just running out on him the second I got the chance.

"I'll give you a lift if you want?"

"With the amount we drank last night, I doubt it's safe to drive. The alcohol may still be in your system. But thanks"

He nodded and quickly wandered to his room, returning a few seconds later with my shoes. I gratefully took them, before heading to the door.

"See you in an hour"

"Yeah, see you then" He replied, closing the door behind me. I slowly walked down the stairs, guilt and the remains of last nights alcohol churning in my stomach. What had I done?


	15. 1 Week In Paradise!

"Hello!" I called out as I pushed open the front door, dropping my shoes just inside. Erin poked her head out from the lounge, a huge smile across her face.

"Morning"

I rolled my eyes, a small smile appearing on my face as I wandered towards her. She handed me my pile of clothes as I entered the lounge.

"So what happened?" She quizzed me.

"You already know" I laughed, perching myself on the arm of the sofa. I glanced around at the time to see 8.20. Today was going to be so awkward. I was practically counting the seconds before i had to leave, willing each one to last just that little bit longer.

"I knew it! I knew you liked him"

"Yeah but I don't think the feeling is mutual" I shook my head as I pulled my trousers on under my dress.

"Really? Why?" Erin sat on the opposite sofa, a concerned look on her face as she waited for my answer. I explained how Spencer acted this morning, how he was quiet, and distant.

"You sure it wasn't the call?" She asked when i finished.

"What?" I looked up at her.

"You said he woke up and took a call. Maybe it was the call that made him like that?"

"I really hope so." I ruffled my hair awkwardly. "You sure you shouldnt be working for the BAU?"

Erin laughed at my comment before responding

"He seems to like you. You really think that last night would change his mind?"

I shrugged and she laughed again

"Jesus, how bad in bed are you?"

I picked up one of the scatter cushions and threw it at her, a small smile on my face, before grabbing my top and heading to the bathroom upstairs to get changed.

I took off my dress, quickly having a wash, before pulling the black top on. I grabbed a bobble out of one of the bathroom cabinates and pulled up my hair into a high pony tail in a hope to tame the mess.

Hurrying down the hall I grabbed my make up bag to attempt to make myself look less like a zombie. I didn't apply too much, just a little concealer, some foundation, a bit of eyeliner and some lip gloss.

Finally I looked about ready to face the day at work.

I skipped back down the stairs and into the kitchen to grab myself a smoothie, shouting to Erin as I headed back towards the front door.

"I'm off!"

"See you in a few days" Erin joked, poking her head around the lounge doorframe.

"I haven't heard about a case. Just doing some paperwork. Ill be home later"

I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my phone and keys and headed out, dreading what was about to follow.

The day was going pretty slow. I sat at my desk, filling out case reports from a few days previous, my eyes feeling heavy from my lack of sleep. occasionally i would glance around at Spencer, checking to see if he was any happier. Nothing changed, even when anyone else spoke to him.

Around time to leave, I was practically crashed on my desk. I was seriously considering curling up in a ball underneath it and taking a nap, but I thought I should power on.

"Hey Faith!" Derek's voice suddenly blurted out, making me jump a little. I glanced up to see Derek perched at the end of my desk.

"Hey" I replied, lying my pen down and leaning back into my seat. Derek handed me a coffee which I gratefully took, and began talking again.

"So... We have a week off after today. Me and Prentis are heading off to my cousins resort in Jamaica. You want in?" He turned to Spence quickly "You too Pretty Boy. Even you could get a little lovin' out there"

I cringed at the words slightly, quickly turning my attention towards Spencer. He just stood up and packed up all his things, before saying

"I already have plans with my mum"

He just walked straight out the room, without looking back.

"He look ok to you?" Derek said, as Prentis arrived at my desk as well.

"He looks pretty much how I would look if I was about to go on a week away with family" She answered.

"Don't knock family" Another voice said. Wow it was like a group meeting here. Hotch wandered past with a smile on his face "I'm going to be spending the next week with mine and I can't wait"

It was nice to see him happy. In this job, you always need something to keep you going. Obviously his was his family.

"So about this week away Derek. I'm in. Reckon you could swing another room for my roommates?"

"Sure think. Pretty boy wont be using it" He laughed, gesturing towards the door. I forced a smile, obviously still worried it was all my fault, and signed the last piece of paper. Hotch began to walk out the room as Rossi walked past.

"I'm going to be lost in the woods for the next week. Don't call me for anything. Have a good week, you all deserve a break"

By the time he finished his sentence he was already out the room, leaving the 3 of us left all staring after him. Suddenly his head popped back around the door for enough time to add.

"I'm serious. Don't call me"

"We wont, don't worry" Prentis chuckled at him, shaking her head slightly.

"I'm guessing this doesn't happen often" I spoke up as I picked up all my files and slipped them into my bag.

"Literally never" Derek said, standing up off my desk as I finished grabbing my things. "You started at the right time"

"Seems that way" I laughed, as we walked towards the exit.

"So, I'll swing by and pick you up tomorrow morning. 1 week in paradise!"

I nodded. Had to be better than hanging around here, hoping for Spencer to cheer up enough for me to find out what was wrong.


	16. I Stared Out At The Water

Less than 24 hours later, Me, Prentis and Derek were lying on sun loungers next to the pool, sipping cocktails, and Erin and Phil were down at the beach.

"Welcome to Paradise!" A man said as he walked over. Derek stood up from his seat and hugged him before turning to us.

"This is Agent Emily Prentis, and Agent Faith Matthews. Ladies, this is my cousin"

I waved sheepishly as i took another sip of my delicious cocktail.

"You never told me they were beautiful" Derek's cousins said, a smile across him face.

"Would that have got me a discount?" Derek laughed, nudging his cousin before he sauntered off towards a group of women.

"You need anything ladies?"

"We're good thanks... I'll let you know though" I smiled, and soon Dereks cousing had walked away and left me and Emily alone once more.

"Thank god that's over" I laughed. Emily nodded and lay her head back once more. I placed my cocktail beside my seat, stoop up and hopped into the pool. The cool water rather soothing on my hot skin.

This place seemed way too good to be true.

Later that night we were all at a party. I sat on a bar stool, staring out across the dance floor at the mass of people. It seemed like I was the only single one here. I mean, Erin and Phil was normal to me, but Derek was with a girl and Prentis was with a guy, so I was on my own. It wasn't like I really wanted to be with someone else since it had only been 1 day since everything with Spencer, but seeing everyone like this just reminded me of him. I stood up and made my way out the door and down a people path to the beach, where I sat a few meters away from the water.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone, pressing the unlock button to check if I'd missed anything.

1 Missed Call: Spencer Reid

"Shit" I hissed at myself, sliding my finger across his name and raising the phone to my ear. It rang several times and soon a familiar voice came over the speakers.

"Hello?"

"Hey Spence. I had a missed call from you. Everything ok?" I drew lines in the sand as I spoke, absent mindedly.

"I'm fine. I... I just wanted to apologise for how I was acting yesterday" My mouth dropped open a little.

"It's ok, I understand what happened may have bee-" He cut me off before I finished my sentence.

"No! No it wasn't that. Honestly. I got a call about my mum, and I needed to come see her. I called because I realised I was acting a little distant, and I needed someone to talk to" I could hear the worry in his voice and instantly felt the need to be with him. But I was here now, so I couldn't.

"Ok. What's wrong?"

"I haven't seen my mum for a long time. I write her every day so I don't feel guilty about not visiting. I got there today and I couldn't do it Faith. I couldnt see her"

"Why? She's your mum Spence"

"But I haven't been in so long. I'm worried she'll be upset with me" He practically whispered

"I'm sure she could never be upset with you" I replied honestly "Just go and see her"

"Ok. I will do. First thing"

"Good" I smiled to myself before looking out over the water.

"Shouldn't you get back to the partying or something" Spencer chuckled. I lay back on the sand and looked up at the stars.

"With all the 'lovin'? I'm good here on the beach thanks" I used Derek's description and Spencer laughed at my statement. It was nice to hear his voice, and to know that he was ok with me.

"I shouldn't really expect any less of Derek. But Prentis?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect it either. But it's happening"

"Go get some rest then. I'll speak to you tomorrow"

"Ok then Spence. Night"

I hung up the phone and remaining on my position on the beach, still staring as the sky. It was so clear tonight. Each star flickered like fairy lights, and I couldn't help but stare. I used to do this when I lived in the UK. It relaxed me for some reason. I wasn't sure why, but it did.

I lay there for about half an hour, before standing up, brushing myself down and heading back to the hotel.


	17. Just Us Then

As I got closer to the hotel I noticed blue flashing lights. You had to be joking me! Can I not have 1 day without trouble?

I hurried through the door and towards Derek's and Prentis' rooms. As I left the elevator on their floor my heart quickened. There was blood smeared down the corridor, leading towards 1 room in particular, and a familiar yelling rung out towards me. Prentis.

I tried to slip past the police but they stopped me. Quickly I grabbed around in my bag and pulled out my FBI ID and Badge.

"What's going on?" I asked, as they let me go.

"We're arresting the woman as a suspect in a murder"

"What the hell?! You have to be kidding me! She's a God damn FBI agent. Emily wouldn't have murdered anyone!" I yelled at them as I stormed down the hallway where they were handcuffing Emily.

"We're taking her for questioning" They began to drag her out the room kicking and screaming. Her eyes locked with mine and she mouthed 'Hotch' at me. I nodded and pulled out my phone. They couldn't just arrest FBI agents! Even if the blood trail did look suspicious.

I called Derek first, making him come to me for help. As he was on the way I rang Hotch, and he answered quickly

"Faith?" He asked

"I know! I'm sorry for calling on youre week off..." I began but to my surprise he cut me off.

"It's ok. I was about to call Derek and let him know about a strange phone call I got with someone saying 'Save Her'"

"Save Her?" I quizzed, before shaking my head "No... Hotch this is worse. They've arrested Prentis. They think she's murdered someone"

"What?!" He yelled "Why?"

"Because the blood trail to her door kinda looks like she has..."

He was silent for a second and I could tell he was trying to think of a way to fix this.

"I'm on the way" He muttered before hanging up the phone.

By this point Derek was running down the hall towards me. I ruffled my hair and slipped my phone into my pocket once more before turning to him.

"What's happened?" He quizzed

"I don't know, I haven't been inside yet" I replied. "Where's Erin and Phil?" I didn't know what was going on. If they're targeting us because they know we're FBI agents, I really didn't want Erin and Phil getting dragged into this. It wasn't fair.

"My cousin has given them a new room at the other end of the resort as far away from this as possible"

Thank God that was sorted. Now all that was left was to catch the arse hole who was setting us up.

Me and Derek entered the room, and carefully flicked on the light. The walls were a bright orange, with small leaf patterning, matching the sheets and the curtains. On the bed were orange and yellow scatter cushions to tie together everything. the words 'SAVE HER' Were written in blood above the bed. But there was no sign of any body, or weapons or anything else in here. It was spotless.

"Save her?" Derek asked "What does that mean?"

"No idea, but someone called Hotch and said the same thing... They seem to know exactly where we are" I shook my head slowly and sighed.

"Great" Derek muttered. At that point a woman turned up in the doorway, she was dressed smartly, her hair pulled up into a tight bun, and attached to the waist band of her skirt was a police identification badge. Derek obviously noticed it too because he walked towards her, and said

"I don't care where that blood trail led, you have the wrong person!"

"We're FBI agents" I added

"Exactly!" Derek practically yelled "We're here on vacation for God sake!"

"So you're FBI agents. If we came to you for help on this, would you tell us to let her go? The woman we found at the end of a blood trail?" She did have a point.

"Agent Prentis is not a killer" Derek said, more calmly this time.

"Then can you explain why a blood trail led straight up to her room?" The police agent folded her arms and looked from me to Derek, as if checking which one of us would be brave enough to respond. Obviously that one would be Derek.

"Obviously someone is trying to make her look like a killer. Look, We called our supervisor, he's on the way over here from Virginia. When he gets here, we'll figure this out"

"His name was Marty Harris" A familiar voice said. Derek's cousin appeared in the doorway, paperwork in his hand. "He was in this room before"

"Hey! Why are you telling him?" The officer asked. His cousin looked down at the floor quickly, avoiding eye contact with her.

"Sorry ma'am. My mistake. Sorry" He stuttered.

"When did he check in?" I quizzed, glaring at the officer. She sighed, and look away from me. I wasn't having some stuck up police woman ruin this team.

"Couple of days ago" Derek's cousin answered. He gestured at the door on the other side of the room and continued, "He had ajoining rooms with another man called Frank Giles. I tried calling him but he didnt answer"

I walked over to the door, closely followed by Derek. I could feel my blood boiling from the anger of our team being set up, and because of this, after trying the handle and finding out it was locked, I didn't knock the door. I kicked it open.

I glanced inside, noticing that everything was pristine. Frank Giles had left. I turned to see the police woman, Derek and his cousin about a metre behind me and said,

"Looks like he left. You may actually have yourself a real suspect" a sarcastic smile crossed my face as I locked eyes with the officer. She rolled hers, before replying.

"I'll get investigators in here"

Soon after she left and I perched myself on the edge of the bed, looking at Derek.

"You alright?" He asked, sincerly.

"I just don't like how this is playing out" I shook my head. "Call Penelope, see if she can find out anything about this Frank Giles"

Derek nodded and pulled out his phone, quickly dialing her number and sitting beside me.

"Hey baby girl, I need the run down on a guy" He said, holding the phone between us.

"No" She replied bluntly. Me and Derek exchanged looks of confusion. Garcia never answered back, especially to Derek.

"What?" Derek muttered

"The information super highway is closed"

"What are you talking about Garcia?" I asked, concern evident in my voice.

"Someone had the nerve to run a black op into my computers! They hacked me! But you can bet your sweet ass I'll find them! If i have to back hack this guy all the way to the stone age I will find this son of a bitch! Kay? Bye"

The phone went dead, leaving me and Derek staring at it, open mouthed. He slipped it into his pocket, stood up and held his hand out to me.

"Just us then"


	18. Reid Eh?

We sat at the police station, outside the interrogation room whilst they questioned Prentis. It wasn't long until Hotch stormed in, walking straight up to us.

"I've been to see the coroner, he said the time of death was at least 24 hours before you guys even arrived here"

"That settles it then. Let's get Prentis and get the hell out of here!" I stood up and marched into the room confidently.

"This is a private interrogation miss Matthews and-" The officer began. I raised my hand and cut her off.

"Time of death was 24 hours before we arrived, so we'll be taking Prentis with us"

I grabbed Emily by the arm and dragged her from her seat and through the door before the officer got another word out.

As I left the room my phone began to ring, and I saw the name Spencer across the front once more.

"You guys go on, i'll catch up" I muttered, turning my back on them a little.

"Boyfriend?" Derek mocked. I smirked at him before replying,

"Something like that" I winked and answered as he walked away, a shocked look on his face.

"Hey" I said quietly, so that they didnt hear me.

"Hey faith. I just a skeleton key delivered to me and a note saying that "You Must Save Her". What do I do? Do I call Hotch?" Spence asked. That confirms it. He knows exactly who we all are. He's targeting the team.

"I'll tell him. Hotch is with us over here. There's been a murder and Prentis was framed. We're just about to head back to the BAU so we can start the case" I sat down on the sofa once more, rubbing my forehead as a headache began to set in. This was going to be a long few days.

"Ok. I'm on the way. I'll see you there"

"Ok, bye"

I hung up the phone and dropped my head into my hands. I can't believe that we don't have one day to relax. I mean, I loved this job, but just one day would be lovely.

"Faith! You coming?!" Derek called to me from across the room. Quickly, I stood from my seat and rushed over to them, as we exited the police station.

We arrived at the BAU, bags in our arms, as we walked up to our desks.

"You sure you don't wanna go home? Get some rest?" Hotch asked, looking from one to the other of us.

"Hell no" I replied, throwing my bag down at the foot of my desk.

"Im good" Derek added.

"How much sleep have you got in the last 24 hours?" Hotch looked concerned

"Hotch, I spent half the night in an interrogation room. I'm not sleeping til I find Frank Giles"

"Frank Giles left Jamaica last night. He flew to Florida and got a second flight to Virginia" Rossi's voice added, as he walked over to us. Obviously Hotch had told him what happened.

"He lives here?" I muttered. Oh god I felt sick.

"I don't know. But he sent me your victims head. Had a positve ID from the blood found at the hotel"

"You... You we're sent a head? There was a head?" Ok... Now I felt more sick.

"You got a head, I got a call saying that 'You must help him save her'" Hotch added. Derek looked confused.

"There's a him now too?" He asked. Without even thinking I added maybe a little too much information with Derek around.

"I got a call from Reid when we were in the police station in Jamaica. He said he got a skeleton key and a piece of paper saying 'you must save her'. He said he's on the way back"

I realised I'd said too much when I looked up at the expression on Derek's face. Why did I open my mouth?

"Ok, meeting in 5 minutes. I'll go fetch Garcia" Hotch and Rossi headed off with Prentis, but Derek grabbed my arm to keep me where I was.

"Reid eh?" He quizzed, a smirk across his face.

"What you on about?" I tried to act dumb, but he wasn't falling for it.

"Don't play stupid with me Faith" He folded his arms and stared at me "What's going on?"

"Honestly. Nothing" I wasn't exactly lying. We we're an item or anything. We just had one drunken night "Can we discuss this at another time Derek?" I turned and began walking towards the meeting, Derek in tow.

"Ok, but I wanna know about you and Pretty boy the second this case is over"

I sighed and shook my head as I entered the room and took my seat.


	19. We Had Him

"Ok, so we clearly have some psychopath trying to drag us all in on his game" Hotch said as he paced back and forth across the room. I was sat in one of the chairs between Rossi and Derek, my head leant in my arms on the table.

"He's playing us" I muttered, glancing over at Hotch.

"He keeps repeatedly telling us to save her. Who's this her?" Derek spoke up. I shrugged my shoulders and replied

"I have no idea"

"Let's look at what he sent us. Maybe there are clues in that" Rossi added. "Ok so I got a head in a box, a baseball card, and a butterfly in a frame"

"I got the decapitated body" Prentis rolled her eyes and looked over towards Hotch

"I got that phone call"

"And Spence got the skeleton key and a note" Derek nudged my foot jokingly under the table as I said his name.

"They guy who called said 'one of the youngest hold the key'" Hotch added.

"That'll be Reid" Prentis chuckled sarcastically.

"But unsubs don't usually contact us this way. Yeah they'll call and mock us about not finding them, but they don't drag us into it" Derek stood up and glared at the window

"There's more" Rossi muttered. We all looked over at him as he took the baseball card out of an envelope. "This is a Nelly Fox 1959 card. I went to almost every game that season with my dad. He was my hero. So was this coincidence or does the unsub know how I feel about him?"

"I collected butterflies as a girl" I spoke out. As Rossi explained the card something clicked in my head. I never thought to suspect it.

Rossi reached into his bag and pulled out a frame handing it to me. I insistently recognised it.

"It's a monarch butterfly" I said, placing it on the table. "It's native to the UK... He knows where Im from"

"So he knows us" Derek said, anger evident in his voice. We looked over at hotch.

"I only got an anonymous call" He shrugged

"But he knew exactly where we were" Derek responded quickly, sitting down again as he gestured from one to the next of us.

"At home, in the cabin in the woods, in Jamaica. Reid in Vegas..."

At that point, Penelope entered the room looking a little pale.

"He got it from the BAU computers" She practically whispered. "Your locations are always there, in case someone needs you. I checked the log and the hacker was definitely in the personal folders. There were room numbers from the hotel, and the addresses for the cabin and your house Hotch"

"You figured out how he hacked it yet Garcia?" Hotch said bluntly.

"I... I'm still working on that" She stuttered, looking down at the floor.

"You know something?" Hotch questioned.

"I... I...I was... Playing a game yesterday... An online game" Oh god. I didn't like where this was going.

"A game...?" Rossi said slowly

"Not on the BAU computers sir. On my own personal laptop" Garcia quickly added.

"Oh Garcia, no no no" Derek shook his head and looked away from her. I figured it out

"I don't understand" Hotch quizzed

"Wireless internet" I answered, putting my head in my hands. Garcia was definitely in the shit.

"I hooked my laptop into the internet here. Thats how he could have gotten in. Theres far less security on my laptop" She spoke slowly, not making eye contact.

"And he could have gotten into the whole system this way?" Hotch continued to quiz her. I just wanted to leave the room. I hated seeing Penelope getting grilled this way.

"It's possible... Yeah" She responded.

Rossi stood out his chair and stared at her.

"How could you be so stupid?!" He yelled at her "It's your job Garcia!"

"I know sir, and I'm sorry" She said as tears filled her eyes. There was a silence for a few seconds before she said

"But I found him"

We all looked back up at her. There was a new air of confidence to her

"You what?" Rossi asked.

"I found him. His name is Giles. Frank Giles"

"Garcia you said Giles?" Derek looked over at Hotch. Garcia nodded quickly.

"Move out" Hotch said. We all stood and stormed our way out the room. We had him!


	20. Are We In An Indiana Jones Film?

As we clambered into our designated SUV's, Hotch handed me a pistol and a bullet proof vest.

"You serious?" I said, my voice quiet and cracking in fear.

"Deadly" He responded. I gulped, clearing the lump in my throat as I strapped myself into the vest. We sped towards the appartment block and I pulled out my phone, going into my text messages.

Faith: Hey Erin. I hope you're having a decent holiday. I'm so sorry for everything that's kicking off and I want you to know that you're my best friend. Thanks for everything you and Phil have done for me. See you soon xxx

If i was going to get shot or something, I needed her to know I appreciated her.

We arrived at the building, pulling up outside quickly. It was old, with moss and weeds growing all over the brickwork. I glanced over at Hotch as he opened the door, hopping out and gesturing me to follow. I did as he said without hesitating. My best bet at safety was to follow every order.

"With me" He hissed at me.

Derek and Rossi headed inside, followed by several Swat team members, and then Me and Hotch closely behind. We clambered up the dark staircase for several floors before arriving outside a plain white door.

"Ready?" Rossi whispered, glancing around at everyone. I nodded nervously, pistol drawn. He gestured at Derek and with a loud crack, he kicked open the front door, allowing us to pour into the room.

"CLEAR!" The swat team yelled as they quickly scanned the room. It was disgusting. The damp on the walls made the discoloured wallpaper peel. The carpets were dark and stained and the paint work on the doors was chipped.

The only other room here was behind a set of closed double doors. That must be where he was. I pressed myself into the wall on one side of it, Derek on the other and Swat at the other side of the room. All of them with their guns pointed at the door, their fingers pressed on the triggers.

"FRANK GILES! FBI!" Derek yelled. Nothing

"COME OUT FRANK!" I called after a second. Again, nothing. I glanced towards Derek for what to do next and he simply nodded his head towards the door and rested his hand on the handle. I followed suit and after the count of 3 we both burst in, aiming our pistols at, what I very quickly noticed, was a pointless target.

In the centre of the room was a metal framed bed. On the bed, was a dead body. A sword stabbed straight through him, and on the wall, written in blood much like the hotel, were the words

'Here Thy Quest Doth Truely Begin"

"You have to be kidding me..." I breathed, holstering my pistol once more.

"Hotch... Rossi" Derek called out as he scanned his surroundings.

"You'll wanna see this" I added as I walked over to a dresser to the right of me. Lying on the top of it was a jacket, and after a quick scan of the pocket I discovered some ID.

"Yep... Seems this is Frank Giles"

"There's a bag of money here too" Derek added, as he gestured towards a large sum of money lying in a bag beside the bed.

"So someone killed this guy and left the money?" Rossi said as he entered the room. I walked towards the body, looking at everything. Then I noticed.

"Guys" I pointed at the sword. "There's something written here"

Hotch walked fowards and leant over the body, squinting slightly.

"To find out what should next be done. Leave the blade til the hour be none"

"Hour be none?" I quizzed, confused. This was getting ridiculous.

"Maybe the light from the window will cast a shadow and point to something if we leave it here til a certain time?" Derek said.

"Seriously?" I folded my arms and turned to look at him "Are we in an indiana jones film or something?" Derek laughed at my comparison.

"Seriously Faith, some people go that far"

I shook my head, shocked at some peoples patience to set this up.

"Hour be none..." Rossi was muttering to himself. He made a good point. If derek was right about the indiana jones plot, then the light would cast the shadow when the 'hour was none'. Whatever that meant.

"Midnight is 00 hours" Derek said.

"Midnight doesn't cast a shadow" I corrected him.

"3pm" A familiar voice said, that made butterflies appear in my stomach. I turned to see Spencer stood in the doorway. A smile appeared on his face as I looked over at him. I quickly glanced to Derek to see him smirking at me. Oh God. He was going to give it away!

"3pm?" Rossi quizzed him.

"It's medieval" He began explaining "The days used to be separated into certain intervals"

"Reid, never go away again" Derek laughed. I agreed! But if i said something or made any action to show that, i was afraid Derek would say something.

"Problem is guys. It's 5pm, so do we have to leave it til tomorrow or something?" I pointed out.

"Not if we can black out this window" Spence walked over to it and looked over the room as he stood with his back to the window. He was onto something.


	21. He Looked Like The Damn Cheshire Cat

With the help of the police force who were also working with us on this case, we managed to get hold of some board, which they usually used for broken windows, and a spotlamp. We quickly boarded up the window and after several calculations, Spence set the spot lamp up at a certain angle. As everyone has said, a shadow was cast across the opposite wall, stopping halfway up.

"What now?" Derek quizzed, looking from the shadow to Spence.

"Knock the wall" Spencer replied. Derek started tapping around the area that the shadow was. Sure enough, it was hollow.

"My God, this is like indiana jones" I rolled my eyes. Why did someone go to these lengths to hide something in the stupid wall? I run my hand quickly down the wall, my fingers feeling over the wallpaper. As i do, i notice something

"This wallpapers been replaced" I said. There was a crease in the paper, like an extra layer of paper was plastered over the first.

"Tear it open" Hotch ordered. I looked towards derek who pulled out a pen knife and quickly began cutting away the paper. Once the paper was gone, a board that was behind it came loose and fell to the floor. In the wall sat a dark wooden box. It was small, maybe 6 inches wide, and looked really old fashioned.

"Take it out" Rossi nodded towards it. Derek began to reach for it, but was stopped

"You sure thats a good idea?" Reid quizzed. He looked worried, and that worried me. He always seemed to know what he was doing. What if he was right? what i'f this was a trap?

"You think it's a bomb?" I asked, a worried look crossing my face. Spence shrugged and shook his head.

"I don't know"

"We've been here for a while Reid. If he wanted to blow us up he'd have done that by now" Derek replied. I backed away from the wall slightly, just in case, as Derek took the box out.

Well, at least there was no explosion.

Derek lay the box on the floor and we all knelt around it as he went to open it.

"It's locked" He sighed, looking up at Hotch.

"Want me to break it?"

"No" Hotch answered, "It needs processing"

"One of the youngest holds the key" Rossi spoke up. We all looked over at Spencer, as he patted his pockets, and soon produced a skeleton key. He slowly placed it in the lock as twisted. The box clicked and opened.

It was a music box. The ballet dancer spinning slowly as a song played in the background.

"The trout quartet" Rossi spoke up again. Spence reached out and pulled out a piece of paper that was sat inside the box as I leaned closer to him to read it over his shoulder. I felt my heartbeat quicken the closer I got to him. What was wrong with me?

"Never would it be night" He began, glancing towards me with his dark brown eyes "But always clear day, to any mans sight"

"Well that was worth it" Derek chuckled, making us look away from each other. I looked over at him once again. He looked like the damn cheshire cat.

"Derek. Can I have a word in the hall?" I said, standing up as Hotch, Rossi and Spence carried on looking at the music box.

"Of course Faith" He replied. We quickly wandered into the now empty hallway, and I closed the door behind us.

"Derek you have to stop with all the smirking before everyone finds out about this" I muttered, staring at him.

"I can't help it! It's adorable" He laughed.

"Yeah but I don't know where Spence is with this whole thing" I replied, staring at the floor.

"You said he was you're boyfriend" Derek's smile disappeared and he just looked at me.

"I said 'something like that' as a joke. We just... There was just one night" I looked back up at Derek.

"You mean you two...?" He looked kinda shocked. I just nodded. To my surprise, Derek laughed again

"Didn't know pretty ricky had it in him!"

"Shh Derek! This is serious!" I glanced around at the door to make sure no one had come out.

"Ok, I'm sorry. How about I drop it until you guys figure out whats going on"

"That would be lovely!" I turned to enter the room again.

"But serious. You two are adorable"

I couldnt help but smile to myself as I twisted the door handle again, entering the room once more.

"Find anything else?" I quizzed as I entered the room.

"This" Spence replied, handing me an evidence bag and a disk. On the disk in red marker were the words 'thy quest'. In the bag was a lock of blonde hair.

"Well... This is certainly getting weird" I sighed, handing them back to Spencer again, who just nodded.


	22. Nowhere That's where it leads us

We all squeezed into Hotch's office when we returned to the BAU. I sat on the desk, Spence one one side of me and Garcia on the other. In front of all of us was a TV. It was small and old fashioned, but obviously, beside the huge projector in the round table room, it was the only thing we had.

Hotch loaded up the disk, and stepped aside, his arms folded, so that we could all see.

The DVD started with a dark room, a small desk lamp the only thing illuminating the frame. There was a dark wooden desk and a tall backed chair, which looked as if it was old, and made of leather.

Suddenly a man entered the shot, the whole time, keeping his face out the light. He limped across the screen, and took a seat in his chair.

"He walks strange" Hotch commented.

"Looks like an injured leg to me" Derek replied.

"I assure you, you will all understand in the end why it must be this way. you might even thank me" The man said in a deep voice.

"Don't hold your breath scumbag" Prentis hissed under her breath. I think maybe she thought the rest of us couldnt hear, but obviously that wasn't the case.

"you know now, youre on a quest. A young girls life depends on the completion of it"

The shot suddenly changed to what looked like a prison cell. Inside it was a filthy bed, a small window with bars across it, and a toilet. Chained up to the bed was a girl, maybe 16. She wore a white night dress that was covered in dirt, and she had long blonde hair. That lock that Spence found? It must be! As this shot was playing, the man continued to speak.

"As you can see shes quite beautiful. And in distress. Now please listen closely for there is one rule. and this rule must be followed. The rule is that only the members of your team may participate in the quest. David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Faith Matthews and Penelope Garcia." As he said each name, a picture of each of us flashed up on screen, and too my horror, the picture of me was that night with Spence. The photo was taken as the two of us were sat on the wall waiting for a cab.

"The quest must be completed in the proper way or it isnt a quest is it? Thats it. one rule. Simple. Now you will be receiving an item soon which will be the final clue to finishing the quest. You will also need a book, which has inspired many an adventure like mine. Believe me when i tell you I truly hope to see you all soon. It will mean a successful end to this adventure. For all of us."

The DVD cut out at this point, and all of us sat staring at the screen.

"He... He has pictures of us?" I said. I think I ment me and Spencer more than the rest of us, but luckily, Spence was the only one who clocked onto it.

He smiled slightly at me, reassuringly, before turning back to the room.

"What do we do?"

"The lock of hair is being analysed for DNA, and hopefully we'll find something" Hotch said, "Get everything up on screen and lets go through this once more"

"We're actually going to play this guys game?" Prentis exclaimed, staring at Hotch open mouthed. I couldn't help but snap back at her. She was really getting on my nerves during this case. I think the fact that everyone had just seen a photo of me and Spence from that night may have got to me more than I realised too.

"Do we have a choice Emily?"

Prentis looked shocked, but this time it was at me. Actually as I scanned the room, I noticed everyone was looking a little shocked as they stared at me.

"Sorry..." I murmured.

"No worries Faith, we're all a little tired and irritated, but we cant turn on each other" Hotch said to me.

We all began pinning all the evidence on a board, and as we did a woman walked into the room.

"Aaron?" She said. Hotch walked over and pulled her into a hug, and she handed him a large brown envelope. I couldn't help but watch, as he wandered out of the room with her. From his body language I could tell something was wrong.

I looked away quickly as Hotch wandered back into the room.

"Go over this. Quickly" He said, handing the envelope to us. He took out several pieces of paper, each with random numbers on in 3's.

"My eyes are so heavy I can barely read" Prentis said.

"It looks like a coded message. The unsub said we needed a book didn't he?" Reid asked, as his brown eyes scanned over the code.

"Yeah..." I thought back to the video "A book that inspired many an adventure"

"It's a book code. Each number represents a certain part of the book. For example 118.30.3. That's the 113th page, 30th line and 3rd word."

"But Reid" I muttered. He looked around at me. "What book?"

"I don't know. And the thing about book codes is it has to be the exact book, and the exact edition"

At that moment, Hotch returned to the room once more, a photo of a young blonde girl in his hands.

"We have a hit off DNA. Rebecca Bryant. She's been missing for 2 years" He placed the photo on the table. It was her all right. A little cleaner, and a little younger, but definitely the same girl.

"How are we going to get this book and solve the riddle?" Derek quizzed, sliding the photo over to where he was sitting, and sighing to himself.

"I... I don't know" Spence replied. He perched himself on the table, looking tired and confused. I just wanted to pull him into a hug, but I didn't want the whole team knowing what happened. I thought about the tape once again...

"The items" I said, looking back over at the board. "He said we have everything we need. It has to be in the items somewhere"

"Ok, so I can see this guy getting our addresses and phone numbers from the BAU database. But honestly... how did they know Rossi liked Nelly Fox?"

"There is no way you guys knew about me collecting butterflies" I added. I mean, the only people who knew that were my family, Erin, Phil, Dan and Spencer. Me and him had spoke about it the other day during work.

"Never would it be night" I heard Spencer whisper to himself "But always clear day, to any mans sight"

"Reid. Not the poem again, please" Derek whined at Spencer, as he rested his head on his arms.

"But it's familiar. I feel like I know it. I think I've heard it before" He responded.

"Which leads us..."

"Nowhere. Thats where it leads us" Prentis snapped, standing up and pacing. I just shot her a look which told her to shut up and turned my attention back to the board with Reid.

"We had the victims name now. Prentis, Morgan, you go and find out everything you can about Rebecca" Hotch ordered. The two of them quickly left the room. "Reid, Matthews. You two stay here and keep working on this"


	23. Faith I'm worried

"Ok. So what do we know?" I sat at the table, after pulling all the main items off the board. Spencer closed the door and sat beside me. "We have the poem, and we have the items"

"There's thousands of books published each year... Year..." Spencer reached out and grabbed the football card. "1963!"

"But didn't Rossi say that it was 1959?"

"It has to be specific to the card. This card was printed and sold in 1963" He said, lying it back on the table.

"Should we speak to Garcia?" I asked. He nodded, and soon we were heading towards Garcia's office.

I'd never entered her office before. There were monitors on every visible wall space, and paper, fluffy pens and novilty items littering her desk.

"Garcia" Spence said as we wandered over to her. She turned, and smiled her usual friendly smile at us.

"Yeah?" She asked

"Can you run something through the search engine for us?"

"Sure thing. What?"

"Never would it be night, but always clear day, to any mans sight" Spence stared at the monitor as she began to type. I took a seat in the chair beside Garcia, leaning my head in my hands as i leant on the desk. I was shattered, but we were so far into this case, I didn't want to sleep.

"Ok got it" She said "It's a Poem, called parliament of the-"

Before she could finish she was cut off by Spencer's outburst, which caused us both to jump slightly.

"FOWLS!" His face lit up, and you could practically see his mind working. I smiled to myself, luckily Penelope was facing away from me. "Yeah... My mum used to read it to me. It's widely considered the first valentines poem"

"Wait... You're mum read you valentines poems" I chuckled to myself slightly, but I don't think Spence noticed my comment as he was muttering about everything as he paced back and forth across the office.

"Hello Therapy" Garcia turned to me. A smirk across her face.

It wasn't too long until Spence stopped pacing and turned to us once more.

"Fowles! There was a British author! John Fowles. Check if he wrote anything in 1963"

"The collector?" Penelope asked, a list of books on her screen

"Yes!" Spence said. She clicked on the file, and the cover appeared on screen. My stomach dropped as I noticed the cover had a skeleton key, a lock of blonde hair and a Monarch butterfly.

"Yeah, that's gotta be it" I said.

We hurried down the hall, and ran into Hotch and Rossi.

"We figured out the book!" I said excitedly.

"It was a book called the collector, written by John Fowles, in 1963, in England" Spencer added "We have 4 Library's looking for it right now"

"Fantastic!" Hotch actually smiled for a second. "Keep up the good work!"

We were sat in the round table room once more. Spencer was making notes in his notepad whilst I clipped up the evidence on the board once more. In that moment, Spencer's phone rang and he quickly answered, turning the speaker phone on.

"Hello, Doctor Reid" He answered. I took a seat, listening to the woman at the other end.

"Doctor Reid, we found your book"

I cannot express the relief I felt when she said those words. I grabbed a whiteboard pen and wandered over to the board once more, and Spencer read the numbers to her. It took a while, and a lot of waiting whilst she found pages, but eventually we had the whole quote.

THE PATH TO THE END, BEGAN AT HIS START. TO FIND HER FIRST CALM, HER LONG BROKEN HEART. SHE SITS IN HER WINDOW, WITH SECRETS FROM HER KNIGHT, IT IS ADVENTURE THAT KEEPS HIM, OUT OF HER SIGHT.

"Another riddle?" I sighed, falling into a chair and reading it several times. I glanced over at Spence, his face giving away his concern

"Spence?"

"Never night. It's never night in Vegas" He scrambled for his phone and quickly dialled.

"Spencer what's wrong?"

He still didnt answer me. But he began talking to someone on the phone.

"Hello. My name is Doctor Spencer Reid. I work at the BAU and I need my mother brought over here. I think she might be in danger. There is a man, who has killed people and kidnapped a young girl, and I think he knows my mother"

I stood beside him, my arm wrapped around his waist as he spoke.

"Her name is Diana Reid. She's a schizophrenic, and she's at a care home in las vegas. I need her brought in protective custody"

He hung up the phone and turned to me slightly.

"Spence what's going on?" I asked quietly.

"The poem is about my mom. Faith... I'm worried" He stared down at the floor, and this time I couldn't stop myself pulling him into a hug.

"She'll be ok" I muttered as I held him.

"I should have figured this out sooner" He muttered back. I pulled back and looked up into his sad eyes

"What?"

"No one knew about you... Or Rossi. Except me" He sat down and I perched myself on the table beside him. "I tell my mother pretty much everything in my letters"

I couldn't help but feel kinda flattered that he'd spoke about me, and curiosity got the better of me.

"You told her about me?" I smiled

"Yeah"

I didn't really need to be a profiler to see the blush on his face

"What did you say?"

"I told her... I told her I was falling for you"

"Really?" My heartbeat quickened and a smile crossed my face.

"...Yeah" He glanced up at me quickly, and without thinking I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his for a moment. He smiled as I pulled away, but then frowned for a second.

"Look, Faith. I'm sorry for what happened between us the other night"

"No need to apologise. It wasn't your fault. We were both as bad as each other" I chuckled and added "You didn't write about that to your mum right?"

"Of course not" He laughed in response.


	24. Move out!

Me and Spencer walked out of the office, and down the flight of stairs into the main room for some coffee. This was going to be a long few days and the only sleep any of us were getting was half an hour shut eye lying on one of the sofas.

Spence poured me a cup and handed it to me, and as he was pouring his own a small voice called over to him.

"Spencer?"

Both of us looked around at the woman. She had short blonde hair, and was still in her night gown with a coat wrapped around her. She clutched tightly onto her handbag, and shuffled forward in her slippers.

"Hey mom" He responded, placing his mug down on the table.

"This is Faith?" She asked him, as she glanced over at me. Spencer nodded, and she smiled.

"You were right. She's very pretty"

I blushed and thanked her, a small smile crossing my face. He told her I was pretty? I was flattered.

"Spencer, why did you get them to arrest me and take me on a plane? you know I'm terrified of flying"

"They didn't arrest you mom, and I know. I'm sorry. But there is a bad guy out there and I think he knows you"

"You forced me to do the one thing I hate more than anything else!"

I looked from Diana to Spencer and could see how uncomfortable they were both getting, so I made a decision to intervene a little. I couldn't just let them argue.

"Mrs Reid" I said. She looked around at me, as did spencer.

"Yes?"

"Would you like a cup of tea?" I smiled at her, and her face suddenly changed into a smile as well.

"That would be great darling"

Spencer mouthed the words 'Thank you' and I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ok then, if you go with Spencer i'll bring it to you. I think he has something he needs you to take a look at"

She nodded, and walked away with Spencer to the round table room, and I couldn't help but smile once more, for several reasons. 1) I seemed to have actually helped out a little there, and 2) He had been telling her such nice things about me. It was amazing.

"Sorted it out yet?" A familiar voice said as I made Diana's tea.

"Derek. You really asking this already?" I turned and leant against the counter as he smirked at me.

"Hey just checking in on yours and pretty ricky's progress"

"I told you. When we sort it out, youll know"

"When you sort what out?" Penelope wandered across to us. My stomach churned at the thought that more people were about to find out than me and Spence wanted. "I thought you'd figured out the riddle now?"

"We... Er..." I stuttered.

"They're trying to sort out the identity now. Diana's just turned up. I think Reid is asking her about the man in the tape" Derek said. He smiled down at me, and a wave of relief flooded across my body.

"Oh that's great! Well, I'm gonna get my coffee and get back to work. I'm checking this guys IP address as we speak!" Garcia said excitedly, pouring herself a coffee. "Faith! Come down and see me later yeah?"

"Yeah sure" I replied. Why? I didn't want to ask but my mind was whizzing with the hundreds of possibilities as to why she wanted to see me.

I grabbed a tray and placed mine, Spencer's and his mom's mugs on it, before heading up to the round table room.

"Mom please will you just watch the tape and see if you recognise the man's voice?" Spencer pulled a chair away from the table for Diana and she took a seat. I placed the tray down and handed her her tea before I took a seat beside her, sipping my coffee happily.

The familiar video started up once more at the point where he's explaining the rules, and a quick glance at Diana's face told me the answers I needed.

She knew who it was.

"Randal Garner" She muttered

"Are you sure?" Spencer asked. At that exact moment Penelope ran into the room.

"I reached the end of the IP search. The mans name is Randal Garner. It's rebecca's biological father"

Well that confirmed it.

"Penelope, go and fetch the others" Spencer told her, before taking a seat on the other side of his mom.

"I can't believe she's real" Diana said quietly, staring at the paused image of Randal on the tape.

"Who?" I asked, curiously

"Rebecca. He told me all his children were dead. I thought Rebecca was fictional. I mean, he thinks that this team are a modern day knights of the round table."

That explains the quest!

The rest of the team poured into the room and Spencer quickly introduced his mother.

"It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am" Derek said as he smiled at her and took his seat.

"So how do we find where he is?" Rossi asked the room as everyone sat down.

"I'll check tax records, and see if he owns anything" Penelope said. As she turned to leave the room, Diana stood up.

"Excuse me" She said. We all looked at her, and she began scrambling through he bag.

"Before the police brought me here. A man delivered this to me. Its a house with an address on the back"

She handed me the photo, and I placed it in the centre of the table.

"That's 10 minutes away" Derek exclaimed, standing up.

"Move out" Hotch ordered, and without even a second to think, we all began to head for the exit.

"Penelope, look after Diana" I said as I practically ran past.

"Thank you" Spencer's familiar voice said from beside me.

"It's no problem" I replied, squeezing his hand gently.


	25. There Is No Magical Question

Our black SUV's pulled to a stop outside the large, old fashioned mansion, and soon we were all running towards the house, pistols at the ready.

Me, Spence and Derek reached the door, and within seconds, Derek kicked it open and we stormed inside, SWAT team members close behind us.

The inside matched the outside perfectly. Everything was dark and dingy. The wallpaper was a deep red colour and the hard wood floors were perfectly polished and covered in old fashioned rugs. The staircase to the right curved around to the floor above, and looked like something out of an old movie.

"He wants us to know we're being watched" Derek said, gesturing to a camera. "Keep you're eyes open"

I scanned the room once more and began moving towards a corridor ahead of me when I noticed it. A shadow from upstairs.

"There!" I yelled out to the others. We ran after it, up the large staircase to yet more hallways. This time there was a light from an office at the end of one. I pressed myself against the wall on the one side, Spence and Derek on the other, and 2 swat team members knelt on the floor in the hall, guns pointed at the doorway.

" . FBI!" Derek called out to him. I stared at the opening in the door and saw a figure more.

"He's in there" I hissed towards Derek and Spencer.

"Cover me. I'm going in" Derek said. He began to move but Spence put his arm out and stopped him.

"Wait" He said. Derek looked at him, a confused look on his face.

"What?"

"Mr Garner. I'm Spencer Reid. You were in the hospital with my mother. All we want to do is help rebecca... You want that too?... Right?" Spencer called out to him.

"Ask the question" The voice of the tape called back.

"There is no magical question "

"What?" I asked.

"He thinks if I ask the right question all his wounds will be healed."

"Do you know the question?" Derek quizzed him. Spence looked from me to Derek.

"I know what he wants... I'm going to move to where he can see me"

"Spence.. No" I reached out and grabbed his hand as he moved down the corridor. He just turned and looked at me, smiled, and pressed his gun into my hand.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him.

"I'm fine" He turned again and headed towards the office, his hands up. Derek grabbed me by my vest and pulled me back to the start of the hallway.

"Stay calm " Spencer called out to him. Me and Derek didn't know what to do, we just watched as Spence slowly walked closer and closer to the doorway.

"Ask the question" He repeated

"There isn't a question" Spencer replied. I got more and more nervous with each step he took. What if he got hurt? A tear trickled down my cheek at the thought. Thank god for the darkness, because Derek couldnt see me crying.

"If you want the grail, you must ask the question"

"She isn't a grail! She's your daughter rebecca"

"My daughter died a long time ago"

"Rebecca lived" Spencer said as he reached the doorway. He didn't open the door just yet, he just stood near it as they spoke.

"No. You're mother. She explained it all to me"

"My mother is a paranoid schizophrenic who would forget to eat is she wasn't properly medicated and supervised!"

My heart broke a little at the words. It hurt him so much that Diana was like that.

"She is?" Derek asked

Oh god, Derek didn't know? Had Spence not told them yet?

"Yeah" I whispered back.

"She made me realise none of it was real!" Randal called out "I didn't lose rebecca! Rebecca never existed!"

"She does exist " Spencer said calmly, as he rested his hand on the door. "And were here to help her"

Suddenly the hallway got lighter as the door swung open. I couldn't see inside because Spencer was in the way, but from how his voice changed, I could tell something was wrong.

"Faith... Morgan... I think it would be better if you waited downstairs"

"What?" Derek hissed

"We're not leaving Spence" I called out. What the hell was going on?

"Me and and just going to have a talk up here alone for a little while"

If he thought I was leaving he was insane.

"Ask the question" My god this man was like a stuck record.

"I can't"

"Ask the question and I'll be healed"

"Mr garner. A fisher king wound cannot be healed by somebody else. Its not a wound of the body. its a wound of the memory"

"Just ask the question"

"Theres only one question that matters mr garner. Can you forgive yourself?"

"I couldnt get to them"

"If you tell me where she is. you can save rebecca now"

"You already know. I sent your mother the map"

"What map?" Spencer asked in a confused tone.

There was a map?

"Can I forgive myself? No I cant!"

Suddenly Spence spun around and began running towards us.

"RUN!" He yelled. At that moment there was a deafening bang and fire everywhere. The blast knocked all of us down.

"SPENCE!" I yelled, grabbing his hand and pulling his to his feet. Derek grabbed his other arm and wrapped it around his shoulders as all out us moved as fast as we could towards the exit.

"What the hell was that?" Derek yelled over the noise of the fire alarms and the cracking of walls and floors as the fire ripped through the house.

"He had a bomb" Spencer said, as we practically dragged him towards the stairs.

"You dont think we needed to know that?"

"I told you to go downstairs"

"You didnt say bomb, you left that part out" Derek snapped back.

Suddenly Spencer stopped halfway down the stairs.

"stop... stop stop stop"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN STOP THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE REID!" Derek yelled

"Just let me think!" Spencer snapped back, his head in his hands. I'd never seen him snap before, and I had to say, it even scared me a little.

"This is his castle, rebecca is here somewhere" He said as he paced back and forth

"There may not be time for a search Spence" I said as more of the upstairs collapsed, and smoke began to fill the staircase.

"He said he gave the map to my mother"

"her only gave her the photo" Derek added.

Spence thought for a second, then yelled.

"THE BASEMENT"

He took off running down the stairs and without even thinking I ran after him. We ran down a hallway and down yet more stairs, throwing open the door at the bottom.

"IM CHAINED!" A young girls voice called out.

"Spencer! the Key!" I yelled as he moved the filth covered bed from over where the chain locked to the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled the key out, undoing the lock quickly. As the padlock clicked and opened I pulled the young girls arm around my shoulders and hauled her to her feet. Within seconds, Spencer did the same and we hurried her up the stairs and out the front door, as the fire ripped through the rest of the house.

Paramedics ran over and took the girl from us, letting us take a seat on a wall, panting, and gasping from the smoke.


End file.
